Four Elements
by Secretspy286
Summary: Darkness is once again looming around the lake. Sparkit and his sister Rosekit are about to figure out what is going on. As they grow up, they learn about the good and bad in life, one more than the other. Something is special about these siblings though, and it's just they're luck that they are so close. Join them in their wild adventure called life! (Rated T: WarriorCat Violence)
1. Prologue

**Roselight's POV**

 _My pale grey fur sways in the wind. I look around, my pale green eyes flashing with the light. The wind whirls around me and it feels like chaos is ringing in the air. When I turn my head to the left, I see a raging fire. Its flames flicker high and proud, willing to burn down anything in its path. When I look to my right, dark clouds cover everything. Flashes of lighting strike down to the earth, burning a bright, angry yellow. In the areas that have no fire or lightning, ice creeps. It cracks and grows, coming straight for me. The wind roars in my ears, as if its screaming at me._

 _"What is going on?" I yowl. Where is my clan? Where am I?_

 _"Roselight..." A cranky voice says eerily. My head swings around in search of the origin of the voice. My eyes land on a misty figure standing in the middle of everything. The figure looks so familiar, it nags at my mind. I had seen him before, I was sure of it. He had a dark grey tabby pelt and bright blue eyes._

 _"Jayfeather...?" I whisper questioningly. He bobs his head while padding up to me._

 _"Who else would it be, mouse-brain?" He says, but I hear the hint of joking in his voice. It wasn't often that I got visits from him. I had met Yellowfang and Spottedleaf, but I have only seen Jayfeather a few times._

 _"What is going on, Jayfeather?" I ask, ignoring his last statement. He blinks, blue eyes trailing over all of the chaos around us._

 _"StarClan is sending you a message." He says allusively._

 _"A message? Is this a prophecy?" I ask softly. Jayfeather nods, head hanging low._

 _"Yes. Listen well, because I'm not saying it again." He says sharply. I nod understandingly. "Darkness will soon come to try and destroy the future of the Clans._

 _When darkness comes,_

 _four elements of nature will join together,_

 _two of sky and two of ground._

 _These elements will save all that is lost."_

 _"Lost, what is going to be lost?" I question, but the grey tom is already starting to fade. "Wait, Jayfeather! Tell me what you mean!" I yowl. He seems to smile, but he's too far faded to tell. Black starts to swirl around me, getting closer and closer. It consumes me, covering me in a cold blanket. Everything fades._

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

I jolt awake, green eyes wide. It feels like I'm too hot under my pelt. My head swings around so I can observe my surroundings. The smooth walls of the Medicine Cat den calm me. I look over to a nest on the other side of the den to see my apprentice, Robinpaw, sleeping peacefully. To my amusement, he's sleeping with his tongue out and ears twitching. A small purr of happiness escapes me before my dream once again bombards me.

Standing up, I quickly make my way to the entrance of the den. My paws land on the worn ground quietly, not making any noticeable sound. Ducking my head, I dive under the bramble wall that encases our camp. I mean ThunderClan of coarse. This is my home after all, I can't even think of being the Medicine Cat for any other clan.

Quickly climbing out of the camp, I find myself on the ledge that goes down into it. My head tilts back so I can stare at StarClan. Curiosity swirls within me. digging into every crevice of my mind. What did Jayfeather mean?!

"Roselight?" A soft voice calls out. I turn to see a white she-cat with an orange-yellow dappled pelt walking towards me. Her amber eyes shine thoughtfully.

"Hello, Lightstar." I dip my head respectfully to he leader of ThunderClan. "What are you doing up here?"

"I should be asking you that." She meows softly and sits next to me. "Is something wrong, Roselight?" I nod, looking back up at Silverpelt. The stars twinkle brightly, representing every fallen warrior.

"I am deeply troubled." I murmur quietly. Her ears flick curiously, tail swaying behind her. "I was visited by StarClan in my dreams. Jayfeather sent me a prophecy." Her amber eyes flash with surprise.

"A new prophecy? It's been so long since the last." My thoughts flash back to the fight against the dark forest that happened so long ago. I was not even born at that time, but the stories have been passed down. "What did he say?"

"When darkness comes, four elements of nature will join together. These elements will save all that is lost." I mutter, head tipped down in thought. She looks up at our ancestors, also in thought. How are we supposed to know the meaning of this? Hopefully StarClan will make things clear.


	2. Chapter 1

**I changed the prophecy, so check that out plz. Also, you can keep sending me characters using my Warrior Cats Fill-out Form.**

 **Sparkkit's POV**

"Rosekit!" I pop my head into the Nursery. Rosekit lays near the back, curled up in a tight ball. My lighter colored litter-mate looks up at the sound of my voice. I hop over to her, tail waving excitedly. She blinks tiredly, her currently green eyes showing her grogginess. Sitting next to her, I purr loudly. "Aren't you excited?!" I ask.

"About what?" Rosekit mews quietly. She looks at me, green eyes slowly mixing with a yellow color. I'm pretty sure mine are the same, except they have gold flecks in them. Rosekit and I are almost identical. We are both dark red-brown, mine darker than hers, and we both have black stripes. Hers went from one side to the other, while mine go from my head to my tail. We also have matching eyes that shift color.

"We'll be six moons old soon!" I whine, knowing that she actually forgot. "How could forget that, Rosekit?" I ask is frustration.

"Sorry, Sparkkit." She dips her head down shyly. I blink, immediately feeling bad for letting my temper getting the best of me. I move forward and curl up with her. _'I didn't mean to forget_.' She thinks.

"I know you didn't." I meow quietly and lick her ear comfortingly. No one knows this, but we can read each others thoughts. It was a gift from StarClan that we are not ready to share with anyone. It reminds me of the story about Jayfeather, Dovewing, and Lionblaze. That is my favorite story that the Elders tell.

"How much longer?" Rosekit asks.

"Two more Sunrises." I remind her. She nods, leaning over to rest her furry chin on my paws. I lay my head on her shoulders, draping my tail over her back in an almost protective way. I love my sister very much. We have always been close. She is very shy, so I act as her protector. Hollytail, our mother, says it's cute.

 _'I can't wait._ ' She thinks, staring off into the shadows.

' _Me too_.' My eyes flutter shut as I take a deep breath through my nose. The comforting smell of Rosekit and the Nursery fills my senses. After a while, I feel Rosekit's breathing even out. I relax a bit, letting myself drift off into sleep. I don't know what I would do if I lost my sister.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 _"Come on, Rosekit!" I look over my shoulder at my litter-mate. She stumbles behind me, trying to keep up with my fast pace._

 _"We're not supposed to be out here, Sparkkit.' She meows in a fearful voice. I slow down to trot beside her. Flicking her ear, I laugh._

 _"No one will catch us! This will be good for when we become apprentices." I reassure her. Her ears lean back and her tail flicks nervously. Her eyes are turning a dangerous orange-red color. My eyes are a peaceful green color with gold flecks as I observe her._

 _"I don't know..." She mews. Rolling my eyes, I start to speed up again. "What if we get lost?"_

 _"We won't get lo-" I'm cut of by a loud crack of thunder. Rosekit squeaks, darting forward to my side. I huddle close to her, eyes going to the sky. Dark grey clouds cover the bright sky, making everything dull. My eyes widen in fear as I strip of lightning flashes across the sky. Rain starts to pour down on us. "Run, Rosekit!" I yowl over the sudden thunder. Her eyes are wide with panic and she takes off. I run right after her._

 _Fog covers the ground as hail starts to pound into the earth. I glance around, trying to find an escape route. When I look back to where Rosekit was in front of me, she's gone. I stop dead in my tracks._

 _"Rosekit! Rosekit!? Where are you!?" I yowl, spinning around in search of my sister. How could she just...disappear?_

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

I jolt up, eye going wide in alarm. Looking around frantically, I find myself in the Nursery. When I turn my eyes downward, I find my sister sleeping peacefully. Sighing in relief, I snuggle deeper into her pelt. I felt like I was going to go crazy if I had really lost her.

I don't even think about the dream. All I think about is that my sister is safe.


	3. Chapter 2

**Sparkkit's POV**

"Sparkkit, wake up." A gentle shake causes me to blink my eyes open. Rosekit stands above me, ears straight forward with excitement. Sitting up, I yawn and stretch.

"Yah, Rosekit? Why'd you wake me up?" I meow cranking. She purrs happily, despite my bad mood. My ears flick in irritation. Why did she get me up, anyways? Is something happening? I don't hear any howls of anger to signal a fight.

"Today's a new moon." Rosekit mews softly, eyes shining a bright gold color. My own eyes widen in surprise. A new moon? We're six moons old now.

"We're going to be apprentices!" It hits me like a monster. Suddenly, I'm on my paws, jumping about. Rosekit steps back, ears flattening cautiously. It's probably best so I don't accidentally swat her with my tail or paws. Once I calm down, I'm panting quietly.

"Don't wear yourself out, Sparkkit." A warm, gently voice says. I flip around to see Hollytail smiling in amusement. Her tail curls happily as she looks at Rosekit and I. "My kits are all grown up." She pads forward and licks my head. Scrunching my nose, I swat her playfully.

"I can groom myself." I mumble. She just licks my head again and moves to Rosekit. I lick my paw and drag it over my head and ears. Rosekit bears through being groomed by Hollytail, unlike me. I don't want to look like a helpless kit when I become an apprentice. Like I said, I can groom myself.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under Highrock!" A voice howls from outside the Nursery. Looking towards Rosekit, I make a mad dash to make it outside. Warriors, apprentices, elders, pretty much every cat in the clan is standing below the high cliff on which Lightstar stands. With her chest puffed out and chin tipped up, she addresses the clan. "We are gathered here because two kits are now ready to become apprentices."

Rosekit bounds up behind me, her dark red fur smooth and clean. We sit close together as we watch Lightstar. I am bouncing in my fur, whiskers twitching. Rosekit has her head down and ears laid back, as if she's trying to disappear. She never likes being in big groups.

"Rosekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for your to be an apprentice." Taking a deep breath, Rosepaw steps forward as Lightatar leaps down from her perch. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Rosepaw. Your mentor will be Desertstorm. I hope Desertstorm will pass down all she knows onto you."

"Desertstorm will be a good mentor. She's a bit of a Mouse-brain, but I think she can pull Rosekit out of her shell." Hollytail says thoughtfully. I glance back at her curiously.

"Desertstorm," Lightstar starts again. The sandy blonde tabby steps forward. "you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Bluefang, and you have shown yourself to be confident and determined. You will be mentor of Rosepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Rosepaw."

Rosepaw timidly walks up to Desertstorm who is smiling happily. She looks truly excited to have an apprentice. A calmness rests over me like a blanket of leaves. As long as Rosepaw is safe, everything will be ok.

"Sparkkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for your to be an apprentice." My head swings so I can look at Lightstar. She watches me with bright eyes. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sparkpaw. Your mentor will be Nightflower. I hope Nightflower will pass down all she knows onto you."

I glance over at a she-cat who has a long, dark red Maine coon pelt. She has her head partially hidden in the shoulder of a tom with a sandy blonde tabby pelt. If I remember correctly, it's her mate, Goldenhawk. He is a very brave tom who I look up to greatly. Nightflower stands close to him, but she's still looking at Brightstar. You can tell her and Goldenhawk really love each other.

"Nightflower, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Wolfscar, and you have shown yourself to be loyal and thoughtful. You will be mentor of Sparkpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."

I bound over to Nightflower, tail waving viciously. She looks at me calmly, but smiles slightly. Leaning up, I carefully touch noses with her.

"Rosepaw! Sparkpaw! Rosepaw! Sparkpaw!" The clan chants. I pull away from my new mentor and leap over to my family, buzzing with excitement. Hollytail and Birchstorm stand proudly, Rosepaw in the middle of them. I play tackle her with a faux war cry.

"We're apprentices Rosepaw! Now we can go outside of camp and explore!" I flop on my back, paws sticking up in the air. She purrs happily, resting by my side. "We'll move into the Apprentice Den and go on adventures. It will be so much fun!"

"It will." She mews. I flick her with my tail and stand back up.

"Race you to the Apprentices Den!" With a challenging bow, I dash off. She's faster than I am, but I got a head start. Looking over my should, I'm just in time to see her leap past me. With a scowl, I speed up. We're neck and neck as we tumble into the den for the apprentices. Blinking, I look around.

It's weird. I would come in here several times while I was a kit, but it seems completely foreign now. I feel different as well. Like I'm some how older already, and stronger.

"Let's pick our nests." Rosepaw leaps to the back of the den, sniffing different moss beds. I follow her more slowly, my currently gold eyes scanning each and every detail of the den. Rosepaw stops at one of the last nests and settles down. I take the one next to her so we can still be close.

"Hello, newbies." A small but tough looking tom struts into the room confidently. There's two actually. The first is dark brown with black tabby stripes and bright Amber eyes. The second is a dusty brown color with fainter tabby stripes and hazel eyes. "I'm Tigerpaw."

"And I'm Dustpaw!" The second tom says in a more excited voice. His eyes travel from me to Rosepaw, stopping on her. I lay my ears back and stop myself from hissing. He better not get any funny ideas. Though he seems nice, I don't trust anyone with Rosepaw just yet. She's still young and shy.

"Don't be a bunch of mouse-brains guys." A light and dark brown mottled she-cat steps out from behind them. She gives them a nasty glare with bright green eyes. With a sigh, she looks over to Rosepaw and I. "I'm Leapingpaw by the way! It's nice to meet you, Sparkpaw and Rosepaw." She bobs her head in greeting, seeming much more joyful than her first sentence. I copy her motion, settling down into the nest. It was already getting to sun-down. I had taken a nap in the middle of the day and that is when Rosepaw woke me up.

"Aren't there two more apprentice?" I think aloud. The three cats who just walk in lay down in there nests. I had met them all before, but a fresh introduction was always nice.

"Yes, there are, well, besides me." A pure black tom pads into the den. His emerald eyes survey us. He walks over to a nest not far from mine and sits. "I'm Rowanpaw by the way. Hopepaw and Sunpaw are on late patrol." He flicks his ears.

"Nice to meet you." I nod.

"It's nice having another she-cat in the den. I have to say that I was getting tired of these mouse-brains." Leapingpaw meows to Rosepaw with a big smile. Rosepaw looks down shyly but nods. I mrow with quiet larger. "Now, we need to sleep. You two have a long day tomorrow!" She curls up in her nest.

I look over at Rosepaw. She curls up as well, head rested on the edge of the nest to look at me.

 _'This is going to be fun.'_ I think.

She dips her head in agreement as she looks at me. Both our eyes are a placid blue color. With a nod, we both close our eyes. After such a busy day, I'm tired. Sleep quickly over takes me.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 _The sky is dark grey, clouded over. There's no thunder or lightning, just darkness. I look around, tail twitching in confusion. I feel like I'm awake, but how could I? I don't smell anything that resembles ThunderClan._

 _"Sparkpaw..." A quiet, almost pained voice calls out. When I look around, I now see seven cats standing at the edge of the dark most that surrounds me. It's all fuzzy, but I can tell that they are the ThunderClan apprentices._

 _"Rosepaw? What's going on?" I ask my litter-mate. She just stares at me blankly, eyes a strange mix of every color. A cold feeling settles over me. Something is not right here._

 _"Help me, Sparkpaw..." Rosepaw suddenly says, her voice soft and fearful. I blink, ears laying flat on my head. Out of nowhere, the fog dives down and covers all of them. It billows up around me like a cage. I yowl in terror as the fog comes at me. There's no escape._

 _The darkness soon swallows me. It feels like I'm being suffocated. There's no light, there's no anything. It's just one blank abyss that I can't stop falling through. I am consumed by darkness._

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

My eyes fly open as I jolt up. Another nightmare. It felt so real, so terrifying. My bright orange eyes trail around my new den. They land on Rosepaw instantly. She's sleeping calmly, breath steady. Her nose is tucked into her tail which is curled around her.

"Thank StarClan." I mumble. Getting up, I pad over the short distance to her nest. Carefully, I curl up beside her. I don't want another nightmare to plague me. They're to painful.

Closing my eyes, I take in a deep breath. I hope I can have a better sleep now.


	4. Chapter 3

**Sparkpaw's POV**

"Rise and shine, apprentices." A cheery voice chirps. I open my eyes groggily. Desertstorm stands at the entrance of the den. Nightflower stands beside her ears tilted back. Rosepaw raises her head to look at the two. "Come on Rosepaw, we have a big day ahead of us. You Sparkpaw, Nightflower, and I are going to go explorer the territory so you two know where everything is."

"Now come on, we have to go if we want to do this before sun-down." Nightflower says in a calmer tone. Desertstorm hops from paw to paw, eager to go.

"Let's go, Rosepaw!" I scramble out of the nest, hastily grooming myself so I'm presentable. Rosepaw is already ready, sitting at the entrance with the two warriors. I rush over to them, my paws having trouble getting a grip with the paste I'm moving at. I run past them, making my way to the camp entrance.

"Calm down, Sparkpaw." Nightflower says while rolling her eyes.

"He's definitely eager." Goldenhawk pads up behind her, amusement flickering in his bright blue eyes. She turns to look at him, purring softly.

"Hey, Goldenhawk." He licks her head affectionately. Nightflower looks back at me as I run to the entrance.

"He'll definitely be a handful." She murmurs while pressing her head under his chin. "I got to go keep an eye on him. No need to let him injure himself on the first day."

"Ok. I'll see you when you come back." She licks his chin before bounding to the entrance with Desertstorm and Rosepaw.

"So, where are we going first?" I ask curiously. Nightflower flicks her tail at my ear, walking past me.

"We're going to the Ancient Oak." She says. I had heard stories about Ancient Oak. Brambleclaw, Mistyfoot, Crowfeather, Tawnypelt, and Squirrelpaw stayed when they first came to the lake. That's one of Mothwhiskers, a ThunderClan elder, favorite stories to tell.

"I've heard about that place. Let's go!" I trot beside Nightflower, urging her to go faster. Rosepaw walks calmly beside me, eyes gazing around. I don't blame her. It's amazing out here!

Oak trees surround us, towering tall and proud. There leaves are a vibrant green since it's the middle of Greenleaf. It was surprisingly warm, not hot, but not cold. The sky was clear and blue, visible through the breaks in the tree branches. A cool breeze ruffles through my fur.

"This is amazing." I mumble, looking down at the long grass below my paws. Soon, after a while of walking through the forest, a large oak tree appears ahead. It's bigger than the others with a hollow among its roots.

"What can you smell?" Desertstorm asks Rosepaw and I. Taking a deep breath, I try to distinguish the different scents.

"Is it rabbit?" Rosepaw questions. Desertstorm nods vigorously.

"Yes it is. Is it fresh?"

"No, it's old and faded." I say quickly.

"Good job, Sparkpaw." Nightflower dips her head. "Now, if you go down that slope right there, you'll reach the edge of the lake." Glancing at Rosepaw, we both make our way down the small hill. I could hear a gentle roaring from the Ancient Oak, so I was curious as to what it was.

Water laps at the shore, sometimes rolling over into small waves. When I narrow my eyes, I can catch a glimpse of a small island in the middle of the water.

"That's the Gathering place. Lightstar picks a few warriors and apprentices to go every full moon. Who knows, maybe Lightstar will pick you to go." Nightflower murmurs. "Now come on, next we're going to Abandoned Twoleg nest."

"Twolegs? I thought those were dangerous?" Rosepaw says carefully.

"They are." Desertstorm replies. "This nest is abandoned though. No Twolegs come near it. Roselight, the Medicine Cat, actually gets a few herbs from it." Thus we start the long walk to the abandoned nest.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"This place is strange. What mouse-brain thought this would make a good nest?" Rosepaw asks no one in particular. I look at the old grey bricks of the square nest. Part of the walls are falling apart as is the top. Vines grow around it and a delicious smell comes from inside.

"Catmint grows here. It's the best remedy for greencough." My mentor tells me. "We won't be going inside, but if Roselight ever needs something from one of you, you'll know where to come." I nod in understanding.

"Don't ever go near anything that has to do with Twolegs unless a warrior is with you." Desertstorm warns. She's even serious for her usually upbeat self.

"Ok, Desertstorm." I nod along with Rosepaw. I've never seen a twoleg, but they sound horrible. They're monsters destroy things and kill cats. They've also taken cats against their wills. I don't think I ever want to see one. There's no telling what they'll do.

"Hey, Nightflower?" Rosepaw pipes up shyly.

"Yah, Rosepaw?" She turns to look over her shoulder, dark hazel eyes shining questioningly.

"How did you and Goldenhawk become mates?" Nightflower's eyes soften slightly and she lowers her head as she walks.

"Well, that's a bit of a long story." She starts. "It was two Leaf-bares ago. I had just become a warrior and Goldenhawk had become a warrior a few moons before. I was very shy back then, much like you." She nods to Rosepaw. "Goldenhawk always tried talking to me when we were apprentices, but I never talked much. He was ever persistent, being the determined tom he is. He would talk to me on hunts, patrols, any time he could get us alone. I would listen to him every single time." Her eyes sparkle with a happiness I don't think I really understand. "When I became a warrior, he was so excited. We got closer and closer each day. One day when it was snowing, he took me to a frozen stream. We sat in silence for a while until he just asked. It was the best day of my life. Having a mate is wonderful. He understands me in ways Desertstorm doesn't even know."

"And we've been best friends since we were kits." The two warriors laugh and push each other.

"Don't you have a mate, Desertstorm?" I ask.

"Yah! Foxfoot is my mate." Desertstorm says cheerily. "Let's stop with all this tom talk and get on with the territory." She tosses her head forward towards the tree. She bounds off, disappearing into the bushes. We quickly dash after her.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Ducking under the bramble, I pad into camp. My paws ache from walking so long. The sun is starting to set, casting a gold glow across the sky. Rosepaw grains from behind me. She must be tired, too. Who knew our territory was so big! We didn't even see it all today.

"I'm tired." I mutter lazily.

"Hey, Sparkpaw, Rosepaw." Dustpaw bounds up to me. He looks like he just woke up, full of energy.

"Hey Dustpaw." I greet.

"What do you think of the territory?" He asks excitedly.

"Big." I mumble. "But it was really cool! I've never scented so many different things at once!" He flicks his tail.

"That's what I thought on my first day of being an apprentice." He meows. Rosepaw leans into my side, watching him curiously. Dustpaw hadn't been an apprentice for super long, but long enough to know some things. The eldest apprentice is Tigerpaw. "I bet you're tired. Why don't you two go eat and then go to sleep?"

"We will. Thanks Dustpaw." He dips his head. Rosepaw smiles at him as she passes him. We go to the fresh kill pile where I pull out a plump mouse. Rosepaw grabs a vole and settles down to eat it. I sit next to her while munching on my mouse.

After we finish eating, we go to the Apprentice den. I plop into my nest with a tired groan. Rosepaw sits down, licking her paws which are probably sore. I'm too tired to even clean my pelt.

"I'm going to sleep." I murmur. She reaches over and licks my head. My eyes close as I pretty much just fall straight into an abyss of sleep.


	5. Chapter 4

**Sparkpaw's POV**

"You're too slow. Brute force won't win a battle." Nightflower comments as she dashes forward, quickly wracking her sheathed claws down my side. Hissing in frustration, I try to spin and hit her. She's already half way cross the clearing. I pant, my posture slacking a bit.

It had been a few days since I had become an apprentice. It is harder than I thought it would be. Nightflower looks thin and sly, but she is surprisingly strong. Not to mention how fast she is. Every time we practice fighting, she beats me. I'm getting a bit tired of it.

"Pay attention. The enemy will take any chance he gets to attack." She meows sharply. I snort, shaking my head. Laying my ears back, I hiss. I can do this. I just need to be...quicker.

Suddenly, I dash forwards. Nightflower's eyes widen in slight surprise. I make a swerve to the left, making her shift her position. Faking that, I lunge to the right and slam into her side. She grunts and stumbles, giving me enough time to swipe her paws out from under her. While she lays on her back, I press my claws to her throat. Her dark hazel eyes look up at me, showing approval. Pride swells in my chest.

"Good job, Sparkpaw. That was a smart move." I step back, my chest heaving. I raise my chin, proud of my accomplishment.

"Thanks." She dips her head, plopping down on a patch of soft grass. Is it down a few tail lengths away from her. The sky was mostly clear, a few stray clouds floating across the sea of light blue. It was by far one of the hotter days of Greenleaf. My paws were aching and dry. I wonder how Rosepaw is doing.

"You have gotten better at fighting. Tomorrow we will work more on your hunting. Now, let's go back to camp." She mews. I nod, standing up. She stands as well and starts padding towards camp. I fall silently, walking behind her. My head is low as I think about Rosepaw.

 _'Rosepaw?'_ We haven't tried communicating from this far away. Being kits, we were always stuck in camp, which doesn't seem that big compared to the territory.

 _'Sparkpaw? I didn't know we could talk. Where are you?'_ A soft voice says inside my head. My tail flicks happily, knowing I can talk to her from long distances is new.

 _'In the clearing, training with Nightflower. We're heading back to camp.'_ I tell her.

 _'I'll see you soon then.'_

"What are you doing?" Nightflower looks over her shoulder at me. My head jolts up in surprise. Reality hits me and I blink.

"N-Nothing." I mumble, looking down at my paws. I don't miss the way she narrows her eyes suspiciously. I flick my ears, trying to dismiss her question. I still haven't told anyone about the secret Rosepaw and I share. It feels like something bad might happen if I tell some one else. "Let's just hurry back to camp. I need to talk to Rosepaw." I quicken my gait. Nightflower snorts, speeding up to keep up with me. My ears lay back slightly as I hope she doesn't ask anymore questions.

We reach the camp in no time. My eyes find Rosepaw in an instant. She's at the fresh kill pile, talking to Dustpaw. Well, Dustpaw is talking and she's listening. Without thinking, I dash over to her. Her green eyes dart to me, shining curiously.

"Hey, Sparkpaw." Dustpaw greets happily. I dip my head to him in greeting before looking to Rosepaw.

"I need to talk to you." I say quietly. Her ears flick questioningly but she nods. "We'll be back in a second." I tell Dustpaw and lead Rosepaw over behind the Nursery. She sits down, tail curling around her paws.

"What is it?" She mews softly. I sit down beside her, sighing quietly.

"Have you told anyone about our...secret?" My eyes, which are currently orange, dart around to make sure no one is listening to us. Most of the warriors are out on patrol or training their apprentices. I don't want anyone over hearing us.

"No, why?" Her ears perk up. I look at her, eyes locking.

"I don't think we should tell anyone yet. It might be dangerous." I mumble. She nods in understanding. "I don't know. I just don't want them to take you away from me." Her eyes turn sympathetic as she looks at me. My head bows a bit in embarrassment.

"Don't worry, Sparkpaw. We will never be torn apart. And if we are, we can find each other." She nuzzles my neck comfortingly with a purr. I lean into Rosepaw's warmth, sighing mentally. I don't think I could ever handle being away from her and knowing I'll never see her again. We've been best friends since we were born. Everyone knows how close we are.

"Thanks, Rosepaw. Let's get back to Dustpaw." We both bound over to Dustpaw, who is still sitting by the fresh kill pile, nibbling on a mouse. "Sorry about that." I meow. He looks up with a start, but then smiles.

"It's no problem." He meows back. I take a seat with Rosepaw after swiping a squirrel from the pile. "I was talking to Rosepaw about training."

"Really? How is training going, Rosepaw?" I turn to look at her.

"Good. Desertstorm says I'm a good hunter since I'm so quiet." She says shyly. My eyes sparkle with amusement. That definitely sounds like Rosepaw since she's always so quiet.

"I beat Nightflower in battle today." I meow proudly. Her eyes widen in surprise as she looks at me. My tail waves excitedly behind me, the tip twitching every so often. Dustpaw looks impressed.

"You must be a good fighter to have beaten her all ready! I look forward to practicing with you." I nod in agreement. I would like to battle the other apprentices to see how good they are. Tigerpaw especially since he's the oldest and strongest of us all. He's supposed to become a warrior next moon. He'll be a strong warrior and a loyal Clan cat. I hope I'm as strong as him one day.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Come on, Sparkpaw, we're going on border patrol at sunrise." Nightflower says from the den opening. I groan, pushing myself up to my paws. After wobbling a bit, I regain my balance. Everything within aches, wanting to rest for five moons. Another sleepless night. Why do these nightmares keep plaguing me? Does StarClan want me to witness the other apprentices dying each night? It's different every time. One night, they'll be eaten my black mist, and another, they'll be taken by black figures. It's made my nights impossible to sleep through. Most of the time I barely sleep in hopes of not having to go through them.

Getting up, I pad outside of the den. Rosepaw, Desertstorm, Nightflower, and Goldenhawk are waiting for me. I walk over to them, head low with exhaustion. Rosepaw's eyes turns a bit orange, worrying about me probably. I shrug it off and hope that none of them mention it.

"Let's go." Goldenhawk meows. We all head to the entrance to camp and duck out. I stumble over a vine of bramble but keep myself upright. Rosepaw continues to send me worried glances, but I ignore them. I need to focus on what we're doing. "We're going to walk along the ShadowClan border."

"Haven't they been causing trouble lately?" Nightflower says from beside him. He flicks her with his tail teasingly and they brush pelts. I pad behind everyone, my paws aching with each step. It feels as if I might just fall over and go to sleep. I shake my head, trying to wake myself up.

 _'Are you ok?'_ Rosepaw looks at me questioningly.

 _'Fine.'_ I grunt. It doesn't look like she believes me, but I don't want to tell her about my dream. She would just get too worried about me, and I don't want to distract her.

When we approach the border, a strong scent comes over me. I scrunch my nose. This must be what ShadowClan smells like. I'm glad I'm part of ThunderClan.

"Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious." Goldenhawk warns. We all nod in response. I try to keep my eyes open wide, gazing around the trees. We keep walking as the sun rises higher. I stay in the back, double checking everything. I also do it so no one notices how tired I am. Nightflower sometimes turns to tell me something, but I don't think they can tell that I might fall asleep as I walk.

"Wait." Desertstorm stops walking, head tilted back as she scents the air. Her eyes narrow as she looks across the border. "Four cats are coming." Just as she says that, four cats dashing out of the bushes. They stop at the border, right in front of us. There's one she-cat and three toms. The she-cat is a dark grey tabby with blue eyes. The biggest tom has a dark grey-black and olive eyes. The second is a silver and black tabby with green eyes, and the smallest one, an apprentice, is an orange, black, and white calico with pale green eyes.

"Snowfeather." Goldenhawk says, his voice showing dislike. I've heard of her. She's the hot-tempered she-cat ShadowClan deputy.

"Goldenhawk." She hisses angrily, eyes ablaze. They all look extremely angry. "I didn't think ThunderClan would stoop so low."

"What are you talking about?" Desertstorm growls. Rosepaw and I stand behind our mentors, observing them confronting each other.

"ThunderClan stole ShadowClan kits!" The biggest tom snarls. Nightflower steps up beside Goldenhawk, pelt bristling.

"We would never do something as conniving as that!" She growls.

"Then who would take them?" The second tom demands.

"Why would we know?" Desertstorm steps up to the border, growling threateningly. The ShadowClan cats hiss, crouching down. The tension ripples between the warriors, as if it will snap any moment.

"ThunderClan scum." Snowfeather hisses. This sends Desertstorm over the edge. She pounces on the deputy with a mighty battle cry. That sets off a whole fight. Goldenhawk takes the bigger tom while Nightflower takes the other.

"I'll get the apprentice. Stay safe." I nuzzle Rosepaw quickly before diving into battle. The other apprentice snarls at me before pouncing. I dodge out of the way, adrenaline pumping through my veins. Since he's behind me, I lash out with my back legs, forcing him to fall forward. He quickly gets up, growling angrily. I hiss, turning to face him. His green eyes burn with a hidden fire. We both rush at each other, colliding in the middle. I unsheathe my claws and swing at his shoulders. They successfully rip through his pelt, tearing a few strands of fur out. He winces but quickly attacks again.

His claws sink into my side, making me cringe. I twist, sinking my teeth into his leg. He lets out a sharp mrow and tries to pull away. I keep a firm grip, the taste of blood filing my mouth. He slams me on the ground, forcing me to let go. Getting back up, I spit fur out on the grass.

"You'll pay for that ThunderClan cat." He hisses, holding his injured leg up. Before I can blink, he dives forward, slamming me into a near tree. I gasp. groaning at the pain. He pins me to the ground, hissing in my face. I narrow my eyes at him and growl. Using my back feet again, I push him off of me harshly. He goes flying into the tree, hitting it with a loud thud. I stand up, my side bleeding badly, the red liquid soaking into my fur, making it even redder.

I dive forward, moving to body check him. He spins out of the way, biting into my back leg. I growl and try to shake him off, but my movements are growing slow. When he doesn't come off, I turn and sink my teeth into his shoulder in one last effort. The exhaustion is starting to come back as the adrenaline wears off. He lets go of my leg and slams me into another tree. My head hits the bark roughly and I drop to the forest floor. As me eyes start to close, I see Rosepaw attack the apprentice. Then it all goes black.


	6. Chapter 5

**Sparkpaw's POV**

 _"Sparkpaw." A soothing voice calls out. I look around, only to find myself in a breath-taking forest. Everything is a vibrant green and fully alive._

 _"Who's there?" I ask, looking around. Somehow, I don't feel alarmed like I usually do in my life like dreams. My eyes are a placid blue color, much like the bright sky._

 _"Calm yourself." A misty figure comes into my vision. My eyes widen as I watch it take the shape of a she-cat. She has soft, grey-blue fur and bright blue eyes that seem to glow. I don't think I've ever seen her before though. This all seems impossible.  
_

 _"Where am I?" I ask the she-cat. "Who are you?"_

 _"My name is Bluestar. I'm a the ThunderClan leader that came before Firestar." She replies calmly. Bluestar? That name rings several bells inside my head. "And to answer your second question, you are in StarClan, Sparkpaw." StarClan? Am I dead? "You are not dead." She says, tail flicking in amusement._

 _"Why am I here then? I thought only Medicine Cats could visit StarClan?" I wonder in disbelief._

 _"StarClan decides who we allow up here." Bluestar replies patiently. "I have brought you here to warn you. Warn you of darkness."_

 _"Darkness? What darkness?!" What does she mean? The Dark Forest has already been defeated. so they can't come back. What other darkness could there be?_

 _"I cannot say anything else. You will figure out when time comes." She murmurs. Bluestar's misty figure starts to fade, as if swept away by the wind._

 _"Wait! Come back!" I cry out. Confusion swirls around my head, like an annoying mosquito. I spin around, looking for anyone who can answer my questions. Everything starts to fade to black, taking the beauty of the forest with it. Soon, it takes me as well._

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

My eyes fly open as I jolt up. They fly around the den I'm in, not finding it to familiar. Did ShadowClan take me?

"Calm down, young one." A tail falls over my shoulders. I look up, my eyes meeting light green ones that are full of compassion. It's Roselight, the ThunderClan Medicine Cat. I calm down, laying down in the comforting nest. My heart pounds as I remember my dream and those of nights before. She looks at me carefully, probably sensing my panic. "You took quiet a few blows from that ShadowClan apprentice."

"Yes, but he gave the apprentice a few good wounds in return." I tilt my head to see four cats walking into the den. Goldenhawk was the one who talked.

"Rosepaw barely had to do anything to knock him out." Desertstorm says. I look at my sister proudly. It was smart of her to attack after me, knowing the other apprentice was weak.

"You were brave to challenge Flamepaw, I am proud of you." Nightflower purrs. I bob my head and let it fall onto the soft moss. I'm still extremely tired. "Though, you started slowing down near the end, why was that?" She asks curiously. I stiffen slightly, ears laying back. Roselight notices my distress.

"I think he needs some rest. You four can come talk to him later." She mews softly, but firmly. I thank her mentally as my four Clan-mates leave. She then turns to me with a strong gaze. "It's not good to keep secrets from your friends, let alone you own litter-mate." How does she know I'm keeping a secret? I sigh, closing my blazing orange eyes. Any peace from my dream is gone.

"I don't want to worry them." I mew quietly, barely loud enough to hear.

"Well, if you don't tell someone, you're going to end up getting sick. I know it's the reason you were tired." Has she been watching me or did Nightflower tell her everything? "Tell me what's going on." She says, voice soft and calming. Roselight sits down next to the nest I lay in.

"Fine." I mumble. "I've been having strange...dreams lately. They're more like nightmares. I have them pretty much every night now."

"What are they about?"

"It's different every time, but yet it's always the same. The other apprentices always...disappear." I say faintly. She looks down thoughtfully. I blink, eyes on her for a while. What is she thinking about?

"Very strange. Has anything else happened?" She asks.

"Well..." I hesitate to tell her about the latest one. "Just now I met a cat. Her name was...Bluestar I think." Roselight's eyes widen when I say the she-cats name. She looks shocked, like she just saw a ghost.

"B-Bluestar?" She whispers to herself. "You saw Bluestar?!" I nod. "What did she say?"

"Something about darkness." It looks like Roselight is about to say something, but she is interrupted by a loud yowl from the clearing.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Lightstar yowls from her spot on Highledge. I try to get up, wincing at the sharp pain in my side. When I look down, I see a wrap of cobwebs covering my side and back leg. They're dotted with red, my own blood. That ShadowClan apprentice, Flamepaw, sure did some damage. I'm sure I gave him some wounds to think about, though.

"Careful. Here, let me help you." She lets me lean my uninjured side against her so I can limp out of the medicine cat den. I sit down at the entrance, looking up at Ligthstar. Goldenhawk and Wolfscar, our deputy, stand beside her. She holds her head up and her eyes are hard, as if she's going to give bad news.

"As most of you should already know, a border patrol ran into some trouble with some ShadowClan cats." Many cats yowl angrily. Some of the warriors look angry. It looks as if they could storm into the ShadowClan camp and attack them then and there. "Quiet!" Ligthstar says loudly. The cats fall silent. "I have called this meeting to talk sense. I want every patrol to keep their eyes out for two things. One, look for ShadowClan cats that have crossed the border. Two, look for two missing kits. It has come to concern that they have disappeared from their mother, Nightdrop."

"How do we know this isn't a trick!?" Shadetooth, a warrior, shouts from the crowd of cats.

"Hush Shadetooth." Lightstar glares at him, making the tough warrior fall silent. "You yourself would know how troubling it would be to lose your kits. Would you not suspect another Clan?" He looks down, knowing she's right. I look up at our leader, my mind drifting. How would two young kits be able to get out of their Clan's camp without being noticed. ShadowClan must have searched their whole territory for them. How could they wander all the way into ThunderClan territory?

"This makes no sense." I mutter to myself.

"We need to keep an eye on our own kits! I want a full watch on them every day, they are not to be left alone. We do not know if the ShadowClan kits wandered out of camp, or if they were **stolen**." Murmurs start to ripple through the Clan. Some are angry while others are questioning. The queens hold their kits close to them and usher them into the Nursery.

Roselight ushers me back into the medicine cat den. I follow, still deep in thought. What could be the cause of this?

"You need to rest. Let those wounds heal." She meows, laying me down in the nest. The thoughts that twist around my head start to calm as the exhaustion takes over me. Please StarClan, let me have one restful night.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **Roselight's POV**

After telling Robinpaw to keep an eye on Sparkpaw, I rush to Lightstar's den, my paws falling silently as I run across camp. Sparkpaw's words echo in my head, over and over again. Jayfeather had told me about darkness and now Bluestar has told Sparkpaw. Something very bad is going to happen, I can feel it.

"Ligthstar!" I whisper quietly once I reach her den. I brush past the vines and pad into the dim cave. She raises her head from her nest, blinking her eyes groggily. The moon was already ascending the sky, so many cats had already gone to sleep after sharing tongues. I hope I didn't wake her from her sleep.

"Roselight?" She yawns, pushing herself into a sitting position.

"I'm afraid I have troubling news." I mew. Her eyes immediately widen with alertness, tail fluffing up.

"What? Have the kits gone missing?!" She asks in alarm.

"No, nothing has happened to the kits." I say softly, trying to calm her down. "Though I fear something might. You know of the prophecy Jayfeather told me?"

"Yes, the one about the four elements." I nod.

"One of ThunderClan's apprentices, Sparkpaw, has been having dreams about darkness, and he's seen Bluestar." Lightstar's eyes widen once again at the mention of the old leader.

"Bluestar? But I thought only medicine cats could talk to StarClan."

"No, StarClan can visit any cat of any age. Bluestar warned Sparkpaw of darkness." Her eyes flash thoughtfully.

"This _is_ troubling." She mutters. "This darkness may be closer than we thought. I want you to tell Wolfscar to send out more patrols. I want this Clan as safe as it can be."

"Yes, Lightstar." I dip my head. I will tell the deputy in the morning. "I will tell her as soon as I can. Now, I should go check on Sparkpaw, he was wounded pretty bad in the border skirmish." Lightstar nods, settling back down in her nest. I pad back to my den, my mind far from my body. A chill went up my spine, making my fur prickle. Something evil was definitely coming.


	7. Chapter 6

**Sparkpaw's POV**

"Come on Sparkpaw, wake up!" Nightflower pushes me with her paw. My eyes blink open so I can look at her. For once, I actually got a good night's sleep. The nightmares were coming less, but when they did come, they were worse than before. It was like traveling to the Dark Forest and back. Nothing could be worse.

"What, Nightflower?" I ask groggily. She rolls her hazel eyes and prods me again.

"We're going on a hunting patrol today. You are also going to the Gathering tonight." She flicks my ears with her tail. The Gathering? I'm going to the Gathering?!

"I get to go to the Gathering?!" I ask, waking up within seconds. She nods. It was my second full moon of being an apprentice. I was too inexperienced to go last time, but I know a lot more than I did back then. I had grown stronger and smarter. Nightflower was an amazing mentor and she was very patient whenever I got upset.

"Yes you are. You, Rosepaw, and a few of the other apprentices have been chosen to go." Lightstar chose me to go to the Gathering. This is a great honor! I can't believe I get to go. "Before you get too excited, we still need to go on hunting patrol. The elders need some fresh kill."

"Alright!" I bounce out of my nest and make a dash for the entrance. She laughs quietly and follows me. "Who's coming with us?"

"Rosepaw, Desertstorm, Dustpaw, and his mentor Foxfoot." She replies.

"Goldenhawk isn't coming?" I look back at her curiously. She shakes her head.

"He's on patrol with Birchstorm, Ashpelt, and Shadetooth." She mews. I really look up to Goldenhawk, so it was always fun when he goes out with us. He's almost like a second mentor to me. "Come on, they're waiting." Nightflower trots over to a group of four cats. I've never talked to Foxfoot that much. He's a big tom with orange-yellow and white dappled fur and pale blue eyes. He looked very strong. I remember Desertstorm saying that he's her mate.

"Hey Dustpaw." I head butt the smaller tom. Dustpaw and I had become great friends. "Are you going to the Gathering?"

"Hey! Yeah, I am." He puffs his chest out proudly. I chuckle, moving to stand next to Rosepaw. She watches us quietly, eyes darting back to Dustpaw every once in a while. I narrow my eyes slightly, but shrug it off. I'm sure it's nothing.

"I'm going to! It's going to be fun." I play tackle him, knocking him off his paws.

"Calm down, you mouse-brains." Desertstorm knocks me off of him. Her eyes twinkle with humor. "Toms are so immature."

"At least we know how to have fun." Foxfoot flicks her ear teasingly. She sticks her tongue out at him.

"Come on, let's go." Nightflower pushes everyone out the bramble tunnel.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

We approach the Ancient Oak, padding as quietly as possible. When we reach it, Foxfoot turns to us.

"Desertstorm, Rosepaw, you come with me. Will split into two groups and meet back here." He then dashes off with Desertstorm and Rosepaw. Nightflower, Dustpaw, and I go the other way. I take the lead, lowering my head to scent the ground. A few different scents fill my nose. I smell mice, squirrels, voles, and possibly a magpie.

The closest thing is a mouse. My eyes trail around the trees until they spot the grey creature. It sits on tree root. nibbling on a seed. I crouch down, making sure I'm upwind of it. My tail waves slightly, but I'm careful not to disturb any leaves or twigs. That would scare it off. My paws inch forward, pressing into the earth softly. The grass barely moves as I creep forward. My eyes shine brightly as I watch it from where I'm crouched. The mouse doesn't even notice and continues to eat its snack.

When I'm barely a tail length away, I stop. My leg muscles bunch together, ready to push me into the air. I take a deep, silent breath, eyes locked on my target. Suddenly, a twig snaps behind me somewhere. The mouse perks up, ready to run. My instincts take charge as I pounce, landing on the mouse before it can run away. I snap its neck quickly, thanking StarClan. Picking it up gently in my mouth, I take it over to where Nightflower sits watching. Something tells me that she purposely snapped a twig to scare the mouse. My mouth starts to water at the delicious scent of the mouse.

"Remember, the warrior code says you are not to eat until the elders and kits are fed." She says. I nod, dropping the mouse and covering it with dust to conceal its scent. I will come back afterwards to collect it. "You did good. You reacted very well when the mouse almost ran."

"You broke the twig on purpose." I snort. She nods, eyes glinting mischievously. I shake my head, scrunching my nose up.

"I caught a starling!" Dustpaw bounds over to us, the bird swinging from his jaw. I laugh and congratulate him. We then continue on with our hunt.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

After making sure the elders and kits have eaten, Dustpaw, Rosepaw, and I go to eat ourselves. Desertstorm told us to eat quickly since we have to be ready to go to the Gathering. I pick out one of the squirrels I caught and sit down near Rosepaw. She's chewing on a thrush, deep in thought.

"I want to talk to you." I mutter. She looks up, eyes a mix between yellow and green.

"About?" She goes back to eating the bird.

"What do you think about Dustpaw?" She stiffens slightly, eyes looking down at her paws.

"He's...nice." She mumbles.

"Nice?" I question. She nods.

"Yah. He talks to me and it doesn't bother him that I don't talk. He's nice." She says more firmly. I nod and start to eat my squirrel. Once finished, Lightstar calls for the cats going to the Gathering.

"I expect you all to be good examples of ThunderClan warriors and apprentices. Let's go." She jumps from the Highledge, heading towards the camp entrance. Turns out that Rosepaw, Dustpaw, and Sunpaw are all going. I haven't talked to Sunpaw that much, but she seems nice.

"Be good, Sparkpaw." Nightflower says before bounding up to Goldenhawk. I walk with Rosepaw and Dustpaw. Rosepaw walks on my left while Dustpaw is on my right. Rosepaw looks very calm, but I can see the excitement within her eyes. I don't blame her, this is one of the best parts of being an apprentice or warrior. We get to meet the other Clans!

After walking for a while, we all reach the lake. We pad around the edge, crossing into ShadowClan and then in RiverClan territory. The only way to get to the island is through RiverClan territory. I've been told there's a fallen tree we have to cross to get to the Island. That's where the Gathering is held. The dirt below my paws starts to grow muddy, making it harder to walk. Rosepaw makes a face as she lifts her now dirty paws. I chuckle, bumping her side lightly.

"This is gross." She mutters. Dustpaw laughs with me.

Soon, we reach the fallen tree. Some of the warriors go across it first, expertly making their way to the island. Rosepaw goes next, carefully climbing on the end of the tree. Carefully, she slowly makes her way across. Right when she reaches the other side, she wobbles. As if in slow motion, she starts to slip off the tree, falling towards the rushing water of the lake which would pull her out and drown her.

"Rosepaw!" Dustpaw and I both yell at the same time. Wolfscar reacts the quickest, diving forward towards Rosepaw. She clamps her jaw around Rosepaw's scruff and yanks her onto land. Rosepaw tumbles into the grass, frozen in shock. She's ok though. I let out a sigh of relief, dipping my head.

"You next, Sparkpaw. Be careful." A silver she-cat I recognize as Halfmoon, tells me. I nod and scramble up onto the tree. My claws unsheathe so I have a better grip. I crawl across the bark carefully, claws digging in. Rosepaw watches me, eyes wide with fright. I jump the last tail length to reach land. Stumbling at first, I quickly regain my balance and rush over to her. I press my nose to her scruff.

"Are you ok?" I ask. She nods, still shaking a bit. She hides her head in my shoulder. "Don't worry. I won't let anything bad happen to you." I look up towards Wolfscar who stands a few rabbit lengths away. "Thank you for saving her."

"Don't worry about it." She dips her head with a small smile. I nod, turning to lick Rosepaw's head. Lightstar watches us carefully, unbeknownst to to me.

"The Gathering will start soon. We need to go." Ligthstar announces softly. Rosepaw pulls away from me, her shaking going down. Dustpaw stands not far away, looking at her with worry in his hazel eyes. I narrow my eyes. Maybe he does really care about her.

Our group of Clan cats walks through the trees, making our way into the center of the island. I wait with baited breath. The scent of several cats fills my nose. They all mix together, yet they're still distinguishable. I can definitively smell ShadowClan. When we break through the trees, my eyes immediately dart around. Cats stand everywhere, talking to each other. It seems we're the last Clan to arrive. The three other Clan leaders stand on the lower branches of a big oak tree The deputies sit below the rock.

Darkstar, ShadowClan's leader, stands proudly with his head held high. His dark black pelt almost blends in with the dark sky, the grey striped barely noticeable. His gold eyes stand out though. They look cold and calculating, gazing around the clearing. Power radiates of of him in waves. I have heard stories about Darkstar. He is strict and more manipulative than a fox. His Clan is known for being strong and conniving as well.

Splashstar, the leader of RiverClan sits on the lowest branch, looking around with a blank stare. Her tortoiseshell pelt almost blends in with the night sky, except for the few splashes of orange. She has bright green eyes which seem indifferent, but hold a sense of caring within them. I've heard cats talk about her, and it always seems respectful. She leads her Clan reasonably. She is a very wise leader.

Lastly, there's Whitestar, WindClan's leader, stands on the middle branch. He has bright white and light grey dappled fur. His blue eyes shine in the darkness calmly. He's another respected leader. One of the smarted by far, too. He didn't grow angry as easily as Darkstar does, but he's more expressive than Splashstar. I know Lightstar considers him a good friend.

I blink, turning my gaze back to the Clans. Dustpaw and Rosepaw still stand by me, but I don't see Sunpaw.

"Where did Sunpaw go?" I ask. Dustpaw snorts.

"She went to hang with Stormpaw, a WindClan apprentice." He grumbles. "If you ask me, they spend to much time together. I swear by StarClan I've seen them talking by the borders." That sounds suspicious. I wonder why they talk so much.

"I want to meet some of the other apprentices." I say. Dustpaw shrugs, signaling that he doesn't care and he'll just follow along. Suddenly, a very familiar calico pelt comes into view. The tom comes bounding up to me, pale green eyes flashing. I step back, recognizing him from the small skirmish with ShadowClan. It's Flamepaw.

"Hello, Flamepaw." Dustpaw greets. Flamepaw dips his head to him then turns to look at me. I can see a small scar on his shoulder from our fight.

"You're Sparkpaw, right? I remember you." He says, voice cold. I gulp slightly, taking another step back. He glares at me angrily. I don't know what to say. Out of no where, he bursts out laughing. Wait, what? Why is he laughing?! I scowl in confusion. "Oh! You should have seen your face!" He pretends to copy my face then starts laughing again.

"What is going on?!" I meow in frustration. Once he calms down, he smiles at us.

"I was just playing with you. Oh, it was funny." His eyes light up with delight.

"Flamepaw is a bit of a joker." Dustpaw explains.

"So you're not mad at me?" I question. Flamepaw shakes his head.

"No. It's all good. No reason to hold grudges." He says happily. I sigh, ears flicking back and forth. When I look to Rosepaw, it looks like she's trying not to laugh. I send a short glare towards her, but I'm stopped by Whitestar talking.

"Now that all Clans are here, the Gathering will begin." He yowls over all the other cats. The clearing grows silent as all eyes move to the leaders. Lightstar sits next to Whitestar, her head high. "Darkstar, would you like to start?" The big, dark tom nods and stands up.

"Prey is running well in ShadowClan. We have two knew apprentices, Fernpaw and Cinderpaw." The ShadowClan cats cheer for their new apprentices. "I also have bad news. Nightdrop's two kits, Adderkit and Redkit have gone missing. If they have been taken by another Clan, ShadowClan will do anything to get them back." He meows angrily.

"Is that an accusition, Darkstar?" Lightstar asks, standing up. "I know your warriors have already attacked mine on a patrol." I shift my gaze to Flamepaw. He dips his head and looks down.

"I only did it because Icefang told me to." He mumbles.

"That attack was not by my command." Darkstar shoots back. "Those warriors met their consequences and have learned their lesson. And I am not accusing you of anything. It's just a fair warning."

"Then why say it. No Clan would take your kits. It's a disgrace to the Warrior Code." Splashstar says sharply. Darkstar growls at her.

"Let's not fight. These Gatherings are meant for peace." Whitestar reminds them. The three leaders look at him but seem to calm down. Darkstar sits down, mumbling something to himself. Splashstar stands up next to talk to the Clans.

"The fish are plenty in RiverClan. The water is running smoothly and will hopeful continue to through Leaf-fall. Darkwhiskers has given birth to three new kits and we have a new apprentice, Frozenpaw. Everything is well." She sits down. Next, Whitestar speaks.

"WindClan is well. Prey is running well and our apprentices are training hard. We also have two new apprentice, Breezepaw and Lizardpaw!" The WindClan cats yowl excitedly, probably surrounding their new apprentices. "Rainpaw has become a warrior and now goes by Rainwhisker." Another round of cheering. "Your turn, Lightstar." Our leader stands, looking over the group of cats. Her eyes look worried for some reason.

"Prey runs well in ThunderClan territory. We have two new apprentices, Sparkpaw and Rosepaw. They are training hard and have become great apprentices." She stops, hesitating. "I fear I bring bad news as well." This catches everyone's attention. "Our medicine cat, Roselight has been visited by our old medicine cat, Jayfeather. Roselight, will you please come up here?" The gray and white cat says something to her apprentice, Robinpaw before climbing up the tree to stand beside Lightstar. "Would you please tell everyone about your dream?"

"Yes, Lightstar." She turns to look at us. "I fear dark time are coming to the Clans. As Lightstar said, Jayfeather visited me in a dream. He sent me a prophecy. He said, **_'_** ** _When darkness comes, four elements of nature will join together. These elements will save all that is lost.'_** I do not know exactly what he means, but I know what he says is true, for one of our apprentices has had several dreams, predicting something of darkness. Bluestar has visited and has warned him of darkness." She finishes. I dip my head low as Rosepaw and Dustpaw look at me. They don't know, but i see the curiosity in their eyes.

"Darkness? You don't mean the Dark Forest, do you?" Whitestar asks.

"Don't be a mouse-brain, the Dark Forest was defeated long ago." Darkstar says sharply.

"Then what do you suppose it means, Darkstar?" Splashstar questions. He glares as her, but says nothing.

"We don't know what the prophecy means, but isn't it always that way? I suggest the Clans keep their eyes open and watch over your kits." Darkstar narrows his eyes Lightstar. "StarClan will make it clear to us."

"Well said, Lightstar." Whitestar bobs his head. "I think that concludes this Gathering. All Clans return to your camps." He jumps down from his branch, landing gracefully on the ground.

"That's weird. I wonder who had the dreams." Flamepaw says thoughtfully. "I'm going to have to train harder if I want to defeat this darkness! I'll do it single-pawed if I have to!" We laugh, relieving some of the tension in the air. Rosepaw is still casting me glances.

"Come on ThunderClan, we are going back to camp." Ligthstar meows. I look at Flamepaw.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Flamepaw. Hopefully we can see each other again some day." He nods in agreement.

"Bye Sparkpaw! Bye Rosepaw! Bye Dustpaw!" He shouts and bounds away. We all head to Ligthstar, ready to return back to camp.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

When we get close to the camp, alarm calls meet my ears. Lightstar must hear them too, because her ears perk up. She dashes forward, long legs stretching as far as they go. The rest of us run after her, approaching the camp at a faster speed. I duck under the bramble, running into the clearing. The thorns cut my sides slightly, but I don't even pay attention. Something is wrong. Very wrong.

We break into the clearing, filing in quickly. A few cats are dashing around in panic, many wailing. I see Lightstar is comforting Petalheart who looks very distressed. Shadetooth is pacing around, ears laid back as he growls.

Lightstar climbs up onto Highledge. She stand tall, her eyes shine gravely.

"Attention!" Everyone turns to her. "Petalheart's kits have gone missing." That's when chaos breaks out.


	8. Chapter 7

**Sparkpaw's POV**

 _"Petalheart's kits have gone missing."_

"Where'd they go!?"

"What happened?!"

The shouts of different cats join in to make one loud noise. I cringe, my ears laying back. Rosepaw's eyes are wide and she isn't moving. She was close friends with Petalheart's kits while we were in the Nursery. They were a bit younger than us, but she loves to play with them. Petalheart never let me play with them because she was scared I would get to rough.

"Calm down!" Ligthstar yowls over the commotion. She sends a sharp glare of the crowd so their shouts turn to murmurs. "Petalheart, Shadetooth, Roselight, and Sparkpaw, I want you in my den." She calls. Rosepaw looks at me in confusion, but I don't meet her gaze. I hop up the rocks to Lightstar's den along with the other cats she called. I can feel the burning gazes of my fellow Clan-mates. The feeling doesn't disappear even when I slip into the dim den our leader stays in.

"This is greatly troubling." Roselight murmurs.

"What are you going to do about this, Lightstar?!" Shadetooth demands. She gives him a sharp look, making him fall silent.

"What if another Clan took them?" Petalheart whimpers.

"I don't believe that's the case." Lightstar says softly and sits down. "The same thing has happened to ShadowClan. Can you please tell us what happened?"

"Ok." The queen says shakily. "I was nursing my kits when Shadetooth called me out. I went and talked to him for a while. When I went to go back into the nursery, I saw a black figure. It...disappeared somehow. When I went into the nursery, my kits were gone."

"A black figure?" My mind snaps to one of my dreams where black figures took the other apprentices. "What did it look like?" I ask.

"I-I d-don't know." She stutters. Shadetooth curls his tail around her and sits closer to her. "I guess it l-looked like a cat...of sorts." That's exactly how my dream was. They looked like cats, but they're tails were longer and they had no features. They were just black figures that looked like shadows.

"Sparkpaw?" Roselight asks quietly. I snap back to reality, my eyes turning an alarming red.

"M-my dream. It's j-just like my dream." I murmur, talking mostly to myself. Thoughts buzz around my head like chaotic flies. I stumble back and sit down, trying to comprehend everything. Why StarClan? Why me?

"Calm down, Sparkpaw." Lightstar says softly. My eyes look around at the other cats as they stare at me.

"That's exactly what happened in my dream." I say, trying to not show any panic in my voice. I wish Rosepaw was here, she's good at calming me down. Everything is just chaotic within me. I'm scared, angry, sad, and so many other emotions collide within me. "The apprentices were taken. The black figures." I mutter.

"This is very bad. Do you think they're normal cats?" Roselight asks.

"No, not at all." I shake my head vigorously.

"The darkness." Ligthstar suddenly says. We all look at her. "Maybe this is the darkness StarClan warned us about."

"Why is it taking kits, though?" Shadetooth asks. "Do you think it might be the same case with ShadowClan's kits?" Lightstar nods.

"It's possible." She mews. "I will tell Wolfscar to send out a few search patrols tomorrow. Until then, go back to your dens and get as much rest as possible. We don't know if this darkness will strike again, but I want everyone rested and strong. Go to your dens." I get up right away and run out of the den. Practically tripping over the rocks, I make my way to the apprentice den. Rosepaw and Dustpaw sit in the corner. He's comforting her.

I sigh, deciding not to bother them. I drop into my nest, eyes still wide open.

 _'Goodnight, Rosepaw.'_ I think.

'Sleep well, Sparkpaw.' Her voice says softly in my head. I close my eyes and try to force myself to fall asleep. I'm still reluctant, hoping no nightmares plague me. I don't think I can handle them right now.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

I sigh, closing my eyes tiredly. Rosepaw pokes me with her paw.

"Eat your vole. You need the energy." She says softly. A few days have gone by since Sandkit, Pinekit, and Berrykit have gone missing. Rosepaw has calmed down a bit, but my nightmares are getting worse, attacking me **every** night. Rosepaw has started sleeping with me in my nest which helps us both.

"Sorry. I'm really tired." I mutter through taking a warm bite of the fresh vole. Her eyes glow with understanding.

"Hey guys." Dustpaw pads over to us. His shoulders are slumped and his eyes don't have the usual gleeful sparkle to them. The recent events are weighing heavily on everyone.

"Hey Dustpaw." Rosepaw mews softly. He sits next to her heavily, making a small _thump_ noise.

"How are you two doing?" He asks, trying to make his voice upbeat.

"Good." "Tired." Rosepaw and I say at the same time.

"I know what you mean." Dustpaw sighs, leaning forward to pick up a wood pigeon. "This whole situation is tiring!"

We all eat our food in silence. I find that there is nothing to say. Everyone is troubled and a heavy tension rests over the camps. There hasn't even been a single border skirmish. I haven't seen a cat from another Clan since the Gathering. The whole lake seems eerily quiet.

Out of no where, a bunch of cats burst into the camp. They smell different. WindClan. I jump up, pelt bristling. Are they using our time of confusion to attack? No, there's only four of them. One I recognize to be their deputy, Redwing. There's one other she-cat and two toms. One of the toms is the new warrior Rainwhisker, but I don't recognize the other two cats.

"What is the meaning of this?" Wolfscar hisses, padding over to them. Redwing doesn't even flinch, just tilts her ears back.

"We are not here to fight." She says calmly. "Whitestar has sent me to talk to Lightstar."

"Talk to me?" Lightstar appears on top of Highledge. Every cat is watching the events go down. I walk closer to the rocks in order to hear Lightstar.

"Yes." Redwing bows her head respectfully.

"Very well. come up here. Wolfscar, offer the other cats some fresh kill, they must be hungry from the long run." Wolfscar nods and ushers the three other cats to the fresh kill pile. Redwing jumps up the rocks and goes into Lightstar's den. I trot over to the other cats so I can figure out what's going on.

"Hi, I'm Sparkpaw." I say to the she-cat. She has a gold pelt and yellow eyes.

"I'm Lionstrike." She meows with a smile.

"So, what does Whitestar want Lightstar to know?" I ask curiously. She narrows her bright eyes.

"I'm not sure that's for you to know." She says allusively.

"I think it is. I'm the apprentice that's had the dreams." I narrow my eyes as well. I'm apart of this and I deserve to know what's going on. Lionstrike sighs. She looks very stressed.

"Fine. Three kits and an apprentice have gone missing. There's no trace of them." She whispers to me. I nod, eyes widening slightly. An apprentice? This is getting worse. What if this darkness starts taking warriors? The whole lake would go crazy.

After a while, Lightstar and Redwing walk out of the den. Our leader looks very worried and distressed. Her head is tilted down as she is in deep thought. Redwing jumps down the rocks and gathers her Clan-mates. They leave as hastily as they came in. It leaves everyone confused, except for me. I look to Lightstar, my red-orange eyes meeting her amber ones. With a nod, she goes back into her den.

"I'll be back guys." I tell Rosepaw and Dustpaw before going up to the leader's den. Lightstar sits near the back, staring blankly at the rock walls. Her eyes seem somehow dimmer, as if she's slowly losing life. She must stay strong though, or else the Clan will descend into chaos. She would never let that happened.

"I assume you know what happened?" I nod, sitting a fox-length away from her. "An apprentice was taken this time. Redwing said that another apprentice, Breezepaw, saw a shadow disappear before she started to look for the apprentice. I think I am going to send Roselight to the MoonPool so she can consult StarClan."

"That is probably the best thing to do." I comment.

"I'm glad you agree." She murmurs. "Keep an eye on Rosepaw, Sparkpaw. We don't want her disappearing." I realize that she's right. If Rosepaw was taken, I would lose it. I would lose whatever sleep I get these days, I would lose my mind, I would practically die. I can **not** let them take her.


	9. Chapter 8

**Sparkpaw's POV**

After that, kits and apprentices started disappearing left and right. First, Rowanpaw and Sunpaw went missing during a hunting patrol. Then Dustpaw disappeared during the night. Rosepaw was so upset, she would barely get out of her nest. I would bring her food and try to comfort her, but the sadness weighed on her heavily. It made me upset as well, since he was my best friend and whenever Rosepaw is depressed, it makes me depressed.

That's only ThunderClan. All the other Clans are losing cats as well. I don't even know how many have disappeared. I hope Roselight figures this out quickly.

* * *

 **Roselight's POV**

Lightstar told me to go to the MoonPool to consult StarClan. I wasn't sure if I would learn anything, but it's worth a try. StarClan has always helped us in our time of need.

"We're going to the MoonPool?" Robinpaw asks excitedly. I nod, preparing a small pack of herbs just in case we run into some trouble. WindClan shouldn't interfere with us since we're medicine cats, but you never know. Medicine cats are allowed to travel freely when it comes to something like this. We need to get to the MoonPool as quickly as possible.

"Come on, I want to get there before Sunhigh." I mew urgently. He nods, following me out of the den.

The few cats that are still in camp watch us leave. A lot is resting on my shoulders and I'm not sure if I can handle it. This much pressure has never been put on me. It's a challenge I'm will to except though, as long as I can help my Clan.

"Will StarClan tell you how to save the Clans?" Robinpaw asks me quietly.

"I don't know, Robinpaw. I don't know. My eyes gaze at the upcoming hills of WindClan. They look so big and unconquerable. May StarClan help us.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"I'm tired." Robinpaw mutters, looking down at his paws. I flick him with my tail. We have been walking at a fast pace and my paws are starting to hurt as well. It was indeed a long walk. Luckily, we hadn't ran into any WindClan patrols. We were actually very close to the MoonPool.

"We're almost there." I murmur. I speed up slightly so we get there quicker. Robinpaw sighs and speeds up to so he's not left behind.

It doesn't take long for us to reach our destination. The stone hollow looms ahead, a cool breeze flowing through it. I lead Robinpaw down the stone path that is covered in ancient paw-prints. My paws soon hit the soft sand that surrounds the MoonPool. A small waterfall feeds into the pool while a stream flows out of it. The water is smooth, reflecting the bright blue sky. It usually reflects the moon and the stars, but the day will have to do this time.

"How do we talk to StarClan?" My apprentice asks eagerly.

"Just do what I do." I lay down at the edge of the water. I tuck my feet under my chest, taking a deep breath with my eyes closed. Leaning down, I gently touch my nose to the water's surface. There's a flash of bright light, just how I remember.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 _I open my eyes slowly. A bright, beautiful forest surrounds me. A cool breeze flows through the clearing, ruffling my long fur. The air smelled sweet, like catmint. The stress of Clan life somehow disappeared. I felt happy and placid._

 _Robinpaw appears beside me. He opens his light blue eyes and gasps quietly. I smile slightly at his joyous expression. Robinpaw was a naturally shy apprentice. He doesn't talk with the other cats that much, but he has such a good heart. It's nice to see him so happy._

 _"This is StarClan?" He asks in a quiet voice._

 _"Yes it is, young one." A soft voice replies. I look up with a gleeful gleam in my eyes. I recognize that voice. It was Robinwood, my mentor. Everything I learned is because of her._

 _"Robinwood!" I exclaim and bound up to the old medicine cat. She smiles slightly, her gold eyes twinkling._

 _"Hello, Roselight." She greets calmly. "You have grown into such a good medicine cat. I am so proud of you."_

 _"Yah, yah, let's get the sappy greetings over with." A grouchy voice comments. I turn to look at a she-cat with short grey fur that seems messy and matted. Her yellow eyes land on me. It was Yellowfang. Right when I think that, several other cats appear. I recognize almost all of them. Jayfeather, his mother Leafpool, Cinderpelt, Spottedleaf, Bluestar, Bramblestar, and Firestar. All great leaders and medicine cats of ThunderClan that have passed on._

 _"Are these our ancestors?" Robinpaw asks. I nod in response._

 _"We have come to ask you for help." I tell the StarClan cats._

 _"We know." Bluestar meows._

 _"The Clans are going through great troubles." Firestar murmurs._

 _"Do you know how we can solve it?" I ask. The dead cats look at each other. In a blink of an eye, we are in the MoonPool hollow. The cats stand around the edges, looking at us. Robinpaw looks around in confusion._

 _"We were just here." He says.  
_

 _"You remember the prophecy, don't you?" Jayfeather asks me. How could I forget. It rings through my head every day._

 _"When darkness comes, four elements of nature will join together. These elements will save what is lost." I look down at the pool, yet I don't see my reflection. The water is murky, concealing something. "The four elements are lighting, fire, ice, and wind. The kits and apprentices that have been taken are what's lost." I finish. Jayfeather nods approvingly._

 _"You already know one of the elements." Bramblestar meows. The water seems to swirl and glow a pale yellow. When it settles, a figure forms within its depths. It's one I recognize instantly. Sparkpaw. Of course he is apart of this. His dreams were a prediction._

 _"I warned him." Bluestar mews._

 _"They aren't all from ThunderClan, though." I look back up at them._

 _"You right, but the others weren't our choice. Sparkpaw was chosen because of his strength and determination. If anyone can do it, he can." With that, the ThunderClan ancestors fade away._

 _"Where'd they go?" Robinpaw asks._

 _"They had to leave, they can't do anything else right now." I tell him softly. After a few seconds of silence, several new figures come into focus. If I'm correct, they're all from ShadowClan. There's less of them than there were ThunderClan cats. I recognize Littlecloud, Runningnose, Blackstar, and Flametail, the medicine cat apprentice who drowned when the ice on the lake broke._

 _"Hello, Roselight." Littlecloud greets with a warm purr._

 _"Hello." I smile. "Who has ShadowClan chosen?"_

 _"As said in the prophecy, there are four elements. One of those elements is fire. We have chosen an apprentice named Flamepaw." The pool swirls again, glowing a bright orange this time. When it clears, my eyes land on a calico tom that has pale green eyes. His eyes show a bright fire inside. He has a bright spirit within him. I think I saw him at the Gathering._

 _"Flame paw is very devoted. He has a good attitude and will keep the group upbeat." Blackstar says calmly. "He is also a talented fighter."_

 _I hum thoughtfully. "He sounds like a good choice."_

 _The ShadowClan ancestors fade, replaced by WindClan now. Since ThunderClan and WindClan are close and respect each other, I know most of the cats. There's three toms, Tallstar, Onestar, and Barkface. With them are two she-cats, both past medicine cats, Thrushpelt and Mothflight._

 _"Greetings Roselight." Tallstar dips his head. "I suppose you already know that the element we chose would be wind. The choice was quite easy."_

 _"This apprentice is very observant and smart. She will know when something is wrong. She may act as the guard of the group. She is also a gifted hunter." Onestar meows. The pool swirls with white light. Wind picked up around the hollow, shifting my fur to the side. The StarClan cats seem unaffected. When the water calms, it shows a white and grey tabby with yellow-green eyes. Her eyes are sharp, like she's staring into my soul. She will be a good warrior._

 _"I see why you have picked her." I look back at the ancestors. Barkface nods._

 _"She will be eager to go on this journey." He mews before they fade away with the wind._

 _"RiverClan is next, right?" Robinpaw looks at me with big eyes. He looks like he could burst with excitement and curiosity._

 _"Yes. They'll be here any second." Just as I finish my sentence, misty figures appear across the pool from us. There's a total of five cats. There's Crookedstar, Leopardstar, Rippleflood, Mudfur, and Mistystar. They were all lithe and sleek, like any other RiverClan cat. There fur seemed to ripple like water itself._

 _"It's nice to meet you, Roselight, Robinpaw." Mistystar greets kindly._

 _"Hi." Robinpaw greets shyly. The past RiverClan leader purrs warmly to him._

 _"Ice is our element." Leopardstar says bluntly. "We have chosen this cat because she has a pure heart and good intentions. She will do anything for what's right." For the last time, the water swirls. An icy glow emits from it, sending a cold feeling through me. The cat who takes image is a she-cat with pale grey and white fur and icy blue eyes. Though her eyes seem cold, there's a depth of caring in them with a hint of mischief._

 _"Her name is Frozenpaw." Mudfur says proudly. "She is a strong, young she-cat."_

 _With that, there's a second flash of light. We are back in the forest and all the cats sit around us. The ancestors of each Clan live in harmony in StarClan. They work together in order to make sure we are safe. Every Clan cat is eternally grateful to them._

 _"Your choices are all great. I don't doubt that these apprentices will be able to work together to defeat the darkness. Once they come together, they will start their journey." I say loudly so every cat can hear. Murmurs of agreement come from the StarClan cats. Things will soon be right if we go through this correctly. "Thank you for your help." Robinwood pads up to stand right in front of me._

 _"Be careful, Roselight. Keep Robinpaw safe." She touches noses with me before fading. The forest fades as well, sending my apprentice and I into nothingness._

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

My eyes flutter open. Robinpaw looks at me, awe shining in his blue eyes. It lifts my spirits to see a young cat such at him with such lively eyes during such hard times.

"Let's return to camp. They need to hear this." He nods vigorously, standing up. The wind blows outside, bringing a fresh gust of air to me. Maybe it's a good sign from StarClan. That which is fresh and light will conquer the darkness.


	10. Chapter 9

**Roselight's POV**

When Robinpaw and I return back to camp, it seems to be more chaotic than when we left. The apprentices that are left are all running around like a whirlwind. My green eyes settle on one still figure though. Sparkpaw sits in the middle of the clearing, looking at nothing.

"Robinpaw, go to the den and look through our herb storage." I say in a firm, but soft voice. He looks up at me with worried eyes before dashing off to the medicine cat den. I look around before trotting towards Sparkpaw. His eyes are a bland green color, the gold flecks seeming nonexistent. How could such a strong, young apprentice seem so broken? "Sparkpaw? What happened?" He looks up at me with dull eyes.

"Rosepaw...she's g-gone." He says, words cracking. His voice is lifeless and monotone. I gasp quietly. Sparkpaw looks down at the ground, ears drooping. I hesitate before moving to lick his forehead comfortingly.

"Don't worry, Sparkpaw. We'll get her back." I mew softly. He looks up, eyes glazing over with sorrow. It breaks my heart to see him like this. "I will go talk to Lightstar and everything will be ok soon." With that I smile to try and cheer him up. He attempts to smile, but his pain is clear through it. I nod and dash up to Lightstar's den.

Lightstar paces around the rock cave, ears flicking back and forth. Her tail twitches anxiously. When she sees me, her eyes widen with relief and she trots up to me.

"Did StarClan talk to you?" She demands.

"Calm down Lightstar. ThunderClan needs a steady leader to get through these times." I tell her. She nods, sitting down. She takes a few calming breathes until she can look at me evenly. I sit down in front of her, wrapping my tail around my paws. "I did talk to StarClan."

"What did they say?" She asks eagerly. I go on to explain how the StarClan cats have picked four apprentices to go and find the lost kits and other apprentices. She listens intently, eyes starting to regain a lively shine. "We must tell the other Clans at once! I will send out some cats to share the news. We will meet at the Island."

* * *

 **Sparkpaw's POV**

"Sparkpaw!" My ears flick and I look up at our leader. I feel broken on the inside. Rosepaw is gone. She is the one who has been keeping me sane through these dramatic events. I don't know how I can deal with this without her. She was my calming peace.

"Yes, Lightstar?" I ask in a lifeless voice. She casts me a sympathetic look. She hops down from Highledge and pads up to me slowly.

"I know you miss your sister, but Roselight has found a way that we can get her back." This catches my attention immediately. My ears perk up and my eyes brighten.

"How!?" I demand. She flicks her tail to silence me.

"Before I tell you, I need you to go with two warriors and share this message with the Clans. Tell them that StarClan has revealed a way that we can save the stolen cats. There will be a gathering tonight at Moonhigh."

"Ok. I will do it." She nods and pads away. I watch as she goes to calm down the frantic apprentices. While she does that, my eyes spin around the clearing in search of two warriors. My eyes land on Nightflower and Foxfoot. They are two of the fastest warriors in the Clan. "Nightflower! Foxfoot!" The two warriors turn to look at me. I beckon them over. "I am going to the other Clans to give them a message. I need you two to come with me." They both nod in agreement. "Come on, we don't have much time until Moonhigh, the sun is already going down." With a look of determination, we streak out of camp.

"Are we going to WindClan first?" Foxfoot asks in his deep voice. I nod, pushing myself to run faster. Thoughts of saving my sister run through my head on a loop. I can't let her be gone forever. I would never forgive myself for not trying.

We run as fast as the wind. Jumping over the stream that divides the territories, we cross into WindClan. The mores provide open running, even if it is a bit hilly. We don't have to dodge trees or bushes. I lope through the long grass, keeping my eyes open for any patrols. It might be better to be escorted, but we don't have time to stop and look for them. I guess we'll have to go straight to their camp.

After a while of running, we come upon a dip in the ground that marks the WindClan camp. Nightflower speeds up a little, taking the lead. That might be best instead of an apprentice running in head first. A warning yowl goes off, signalling that they've spotted us. The two warriors and I come skidding to a halt right in the middle of the camp. A few cats hiss angrily, unsheathing their claws.

"What is this?" Whitestar steps out of his den. His hard eyes land on us and he sighs. "What is it that ThunderClan wants?"

"I bring news from Lightstar." I step forward, holding my head high. He stares at me quizzically and walks closer. Once everyone is listening, I start in a loud voice, "Our medicine cat has consulted with StarClan and we think there is a way to bring the missing cats back. She has called a meeting at Moonhigh on the Island."

"How do we know this isn't a trick!?" One cat yowls from the crowd. I believe his name is Stonedust.

"Quiet, Stonedust!" The WindClan medicine cat, Ravenfeather, barks.

"You think we should go, Ravenfeather?" Whitestar looks to the black tom.

"Yes, Whitestar." He turns his piercing green eyes on us. "If these cats speak by StarClan, we must believe them."

"Thank you." I dip my head to him. He nods, sitting back down from where he stood up abruptly. I look back at Whitestar with a hopeful look in my eyes. He watches me for a moment before speakings.

"Very well. WindClan will be at the gathering." He says in a calm, steady voice. It is good to see that he is leading this clan with a strong paw even though these times are so rough. It seems like Lightstar has found a very good alliance in him.

"Thank you, Whitestar. Now, we must go tell RiverClan and ShadowClan." I nod to my two companions.

"I will send two warriors as an escort to the border." He flicks his tail and two cats. "Gingerstripe, Larkflight, go with them until you reach the border. I want no patrols bothering them." The tom and the she-cat nod and follow us out of camp.

"I hope you three are fast runners." Larkflight says challengingly, but she smiles at me. I nod and take off at a surprising speed. My determination fuels me as we get close to the border. The two WindClan warriors disperse, heading back to their camp.

The same thing happens each time. RiverClan was accepting of it, but ShadowClan was a little less than willing. We got back to ThunderClan camp right as the moon was halfway up the sky. Lightstar is already gathering a group of cats. She's taking all the apprentices and more than enough warriors to watch over them. I flop down on the ground, panting harshly. Running across the territories is exhausting. I don't think I can stand.

"Did you tell all the Clans?" Lightstar stands above me, eyes shining brightly.

"Yes...Lightstar." I pant out. She smiles, nodding approvingly.

"Good job. Now get up, we have to go to the Island." I groan, but stand up on my shaky paws. My legs were burning from running so long. I don't know if I can make it to the Island.


	11. Chapter 10

**Sparkpaw's POV**

It doesn't take us long to get to the Island. The whole Clan is quiet, like something is constricting their lungs. I feel like a snake has wrapped itself around my whole body, threatening to kill me if I speak. Nightflower walks beside me, her warm presence comforting. She has been like a big sister to me, so it helps a little.

We cross the fallen tree, jumping one by one onto the Island. Lightstar waits for everyone to cross, her expression patient. She gives me a sad smile as I pass her and walk towards the clearing. Even the birds are quiet. I'm sure nothing can break this overwhelming silence.

We reach the clearing to find all the Clans have already arrived. All the warriors and apprentices just sit, looking at each other. The leaders lay on the branches of the oak tree, eyes focusing on us. Lightstar walks up to the big tree and climbs to the branch between Whitestar and Darkstar. The four cats whisper together, not loud enough for anyone to hear. My ears swivel back, seeing if I can catch any sound.

"This Gathering will now start that all Clans are here." Splashstar says in a calm voice, but I hear the shake in it. Lightstar stands forward, eyeing us carefully.

"Roselight has gone to the MoonPool and talked with StarClan. They revealed a way to save all the missing cats. You all know the prophecy that Jayfeather told to Roselight. When darkness comes, four elements of nature will join together. These elements will save all that is lost. That which is lost would be the stolen kits and apprentices. We now know the four elements as well. Roselight?" The medicine cat jumps up beside her.

"StarClan has chosen four apprentices to go on this journey to rescue the lost cats. There is Lightning, Fire, Ice, and Wind." She announces.

"Do we know who these cats are?" Darkstar asks impatiently. Roselight sends him a sharp look. For once, the obnoxious leader looks away and stays quiet.

"StarClan has told me who these cats are. Lightning represents ThunderClan's apprentice, Sparkpaw." My eyes widen considerably. StarClan chose me? Is that why I have been having those dreams? "Fire represents ShadowClan's apprentice, Flamepaw." I look around to see the calico tom looking up in surprise. His eyes are wide and his mouth hangs open a bit. "Ice represents RiverClan's apprentice, Frozenpaw." My eyes dart to a pale grey and white she-cat whose ice blue eyes show excitement as she nods. "Lastly, Wind represents WindClan's apprentice, Breezepaw." The last cat is another she-cat with a white pelt and grey tabby stripes. Her yellow-green eyes stay calm. "These four apprentice will travel to the MoonPool and then start on their journey."

"Will no warriors go with these apprentices?" A cat asks.

"I believe it's in the will of StarClan that they go alone." Roselight replies. "StarClan will watch over them."

"Are there any questions? I think the apprentices should leave as soon as possible. They should go to the MoonPool during Climbing-Moon and sleep their for the night." Lightstar looks around. No one says a thing. "Very well. Each apprentice will learn some basic training of a medicine cat just in case and will be allowed to eat fresh kill before they leave without hunting. This Gathering is over." With one last look at the other three apprentices, I follow my Clan back to camp.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"What can bring down fever?" Roselight questions.

"Borage leaves." I answer quickly.

"The leaves of what plant can sooth scratches?"

"Dock."

"What's good for healing wounds?"

"Goldenrod, and Horsetail can be used to treat the wound if it's infected." I reply. "You can also use cobwebs to stop the blood flow and keep the wound clean."

Roselight purrs proudly. "You are doing very good. I think you are ready." She meows. "I will pack you a small supply of herbs to take on the journey. There is no telling where you're going." She rushes around, asking Robinpaw for assistance every once in a while. I watch the two cats picking out different herbs and finally wrapping them in a small leaf pouch. Roselight brings it to me and sets it gently by my feet. "If you find herbs on your journey, make sure to take them. When you find the missing cats, some of them might be injured."

"Ok, Roselight." I mew quietly. What if Rosepaw is hurt? What if she's dead?! There's no telling what they've done to her!

"Hey, Sparkpaw." I blink, looking at her. "Rosepaw will be fine. She's a strong young cat." I nod, taking a deep breath.

"Thank you. I hope she's ok."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **Rosepaw's POV**

Darkness was everything now. I can barely see through it. I can feel shaking, not mine, but of others. They whispered quietly, scared of what might happen if they were loud. I am, too. After the "example" they made of Barkpaw, a RiverClan apprentice. He was so torn up that he almost died of blood loss. Luckily, not every dark cat was a monster.

That's what we knew them by now. Dark cats. They weren't normal cats whatsoever. They had sharp teeth and long claws. Not the mention the shadows. How they can disappear and reappear randomly. Most of them were cruel and bloodthirsty. The scratches on my side and neck all but showed it. I was scared. No, I was **terrified**. I want my brother here.

"It's ok, Rosepaw. I'll keep you safe." A familiar voice accompanies a warmth surrounding me. I look behind me to see the outline of Dustpaw.

"Thank you Dustpaw." I murmur and press into him. At least I have some comfort.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **Sparkpaw's POV**

"I've never been to MoonPool." I say, my voice just above a whisper. Four cats accompanied me to the sacred pool. Lightstar and Roselight had to come. I asked for Nightflower and Goldenhawk to come as well. They kept me calm as we walked at a brisk pace into WindClan territory. They made a semi-circle around me, leaving the front open. My heart beats so hard within my chest that I'm afraid it might burst. I was scared, but excited. I am going to save my sister if my life depends on it, and it might.

"We're almost there." Roselight says softly. I can see a few cats ahead, three of them being the apprentices. It was fairly dark out, the only light coming from the moon and the stars. We approach them quickly. I see all the leaders and medicine cats. I'm glad I know one of the cats that will be going with me, or else it would be extremely awkward.

"What do we do now?" Frozenpaw asks.

"You go down into the hollow and touch your nose to the water." RiverClan's medicine cat, Shellclaw, tells us. "Then StarClan will talk to you."

"Sounds simple." Flamepaw mutters. I nod along, moving to stand next to him.

"Then let's go." Breezepaw looks down the hollow. We exchange goodbyes and then walk down into the stone hollow. A strange feeling over comes me as we walk the path of ancient cats. There paw-prints scatter the path. At the bottom, the MoonPool rests, reflecting the lights in the sky. The soft sand touches my paws as we walk around the pool. I hesitate while laying down next to the waters edge.

"I'm scared." Flamepaw murmurs, looking at his shape in the pool. I nod in agreement.

"I think we all are." Frozenpaw says in a quiet voice. "But we must do it for the sake of the lost cats." Taking a deep breath, we all lean down and touch our noses to the cool water.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 _I open my eyes to see a slightly familiar area. It's the StarClan forest that I met Bluestar in. The three other apprentices sit beside me, taking in the beauty of the forest. They must not have seen it before. I stayed calm, gazing around for a misty figure._

 _"Welcome, young ones." Bluestar appears in front of us with a grey tabby beside her. I believe he's Jayfeather, the one who visited Roselight in a dream._

 _"Who are you?" Flamepaw looks around curiously._

 _"I am Bluestar, ThunderClan leader of years ago, and this is Jayfeather, a ThunderClan medicine cat." She explains. Next, two other figures appear beside them. By the way they look, I'm guessing they're RiverClan ancestors._

 _"Hello, I'm Mistystar." The blue-grey she-cat on the right says. "I am a RiverClan leader."_

 _"And I am Mudfur, a RiverClan medicine cat." The brown tom to her left says._

 _Next appears a white tom with black paws and a small brown tabby tom. They are ShadowClan if I had to guess, because Flamepaw is getting very excited._

 _"I am Blackstar, ShadowClan leader." The white tom greets._

 _"And I'm Littlecloud." The smaller tom meows. All that's left is WindClan. Two more toms come into existence. The first is a small, mottled brown tabby. Next to him is a brown tom with a stumpy tail._

 _"I am Onestar, leader of WindClan after Tallstar. And this is our medicine cat, Barkface." The first tom meows firmly. Now each Clan is represented by a leader and medicine cat._

 _"You four have been chosen to save the lost cats." Jayfeather says, blinking his bright blue eyes that now see. He got his sight after dying and coming to StarClan._

 _"We all believe you have good qualities and pure hearts." Mistystar adds._

 _"But..." Littlecloud starts. "We thought we might help you since you will be facing great odds."_

 _"Help? Help how?" Frozenpaw questions._

 _"You will each be given an ability to help you along you path." Bluestar meows. A bright mist starts to swirl around the clearing. I look around in bewilderment as it surrounds us. It comes directly at us, but when it hits, all I feel is warmth and weightlessness. My eyes close tightly as I feel the stress disappear from my body. When the mist clears, the feelings linger._

 _"What just happened?" Flamepaw asks in amazement._

 _"You have been given great abilities." Blackstar murmurs._

 _"What type of abilities?" I look down at my paws as if it will explain everything._

 _"Breezepaw, you have been given the gift of extended senses. You will now be able to smell, hear, and see better than any cat on earth." Onestar announces. Her eyes widen as she looks around in amazement. "You have proven yourself to be observant and this gift will enhance that."_

 _"Flamepaw, you have been given the gift of strength." Blackstar looks at the young apprentice. "Use it well in battle." Flamepaw nods, holding his chin high._

 _"Frozenpaw," Mistystar speaks up, "You have been given the gift of speed. You are as fast as any WindClan cat alone, but this gift will only add to that ability. Do not use it to flee from trouble." Frozenpaw nods, eyes sparkling. Now it's my turn. I look at Bluestar inquisitively._

 _"Sparkpaw, you have been given the gift of being able to see what is hidden and to hear thoughts of others when you choose to, even if you can't see them." She says in her calm voice. "It has enhanced your current powers and made them stronger. You have also been gifted with another ability, but you will discover it at a later time."_

 _"Now, go. StarClan will do their best to guide your way." Jayfeather gazes at us. "You must go north of the territories and find the place where the sun doesn't touch."_

 _"We will." I say. The StarClan cats nod and then disappear as quickly as they came._

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Next thing I know, I'm awake next to the MoonPool again. We all share glances, not even saying anything. We all understand what we have to do.


	12. Chapter 11

**Sparkpaw's POV**

"So, what did Bluestar mean when she said current powers?" Flamepaw asks. We had started walking right at Sun-Rise. We had already passed the border of the territories. The trees were starting to thin out, shifting from oak to pine a few times. We hadn't ran into anything dangerous yet, and I'm hoping we won't any time soon.

"Oh um..." I clench my jaws together. "Rosepaw and I never shared this with anyone, but we have a type of...telepathic connection. We can talk to each other mentally." I try to explain to my best abilities.

"Wait." Breezepaw looks at me with narrowed eyes. "If you can talk to your sister, then why don't you do it so we can find them?!" I blink at her. I hadn't though of that somehow.

"I don't think I could have if I tried before they enhanced my power, but I can try." I mew thoughtfully. I stop in my tracks and close my eyes. The three other apprentices stare at me as if they want to set my pelt on fire. I ignore the feeling and focus on my thoughts. _'Rosepaw? Can you hear me?'_

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **Rosepaw's POV**

 _'Rosepaw? Can you hear me?'_ My brother's voice rings in my head.My orange eyes widen. Sparkpaw? How can he reach me? I had tried contacting him, but I couldn't reach him. Now he's talking to me! Is he close by?

 _'Sparkpaw! By StarClan, I thought I'd never hear from you again!'_ I think back to him.

 _'Me too. Are you alright?'_

 _'I'm fine.'_ I sigh softly. His voice is full of worry. I feel guilty for causing him so much trouble.

 _'Don't worry, Rosepaw. I'm coming to save you. Do you have any idea where you and the others are?'_ He asks urgently. I look around the darkness. Petalheart's kits surround me, pressing into my pelt and Dustpaw sits beside me. The dark cats haven't picked on us, but others aren't so lucky. A total of three apprentices have been wounded. When anyone dares to talk back to the dark cats, that cat is taken out and returns bloody and wounded. I have no idea what happens to them.

 _'No.'_ I reply helplessly. _'It's so dark, I can't see anything. Dustpaw has been keeping me calm, but other cats are getting anxious. These cats that have captured us are ruthless.'_

"Rosepaw, what are you thinking about?" Dustpaw whispers. I tilt my head to look at his caring eyes.

"I'm...I'm talking to my brother. We can talk telepathically." Surprisingly, he doesn't look weirded out.

"That explains why you two zone out." He says quietly.

 _'Stay safe, Rosepaw. I'm trusting Dustpaw to protect you.'_ Sparkpaw says with a surprising amount of seriousness in his voice.

"You have a lot of pressure on you." I whisper to Dustpaw. He leans down and presses his nose to my fur.

"I promise to not disappoint."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **Sparkpaw's POV**

"She doesn't know where she is." I say sadly once coming back to reality. Flamepaw looks down in disappointment, but quickly perks up.

"Oh well! We can find this place by ourselves!" He says confidently, head held high. I role my eyes, tail flicking back and forth. He was a very humorous cat, always looking on the bright side. I don't know how he can do it.

"Yah, with the powers StarClan gave us, it shouldn't be a problem." Frozenpaw chirps. Breezepaw nods but stays quiet. She isn't much of a talker. I notice her keeping her ears up and her nose twitching. She's taking her watching job very seriously. I look at her slightly, testing the power StarClan gave me.

 _'Something smells weird._ _'_ Her eyes narrow as she looks straight ahead. I blink in confusion and follow her gaze. A thin column of smoke rises into the clear sky.

"What is that?" I wonder aloud and speed up.

"I'll check it out." Frozenpaw dashes forward, going so fast I can barely see her pale grey pelt. Within seconds she's back, a bewildered look in her eyes.

"What is it?" Flamepaw asks eagerly. Breezepaw sniffs the air.

"It smells weird."

"It's a Twoleg nest." Frozenpaw explains. We all gasp. A Twoleg nest? But we're in the middle of nowhere! "Take a look for yourselves." She leads us up the crest of a hill until we reach the top. When I look down into the shallow valley, my jaw drops a bit. A square nest stands in the middle. It looks like it's made of trees, but without the branches and leaves. A rock box on top of the nest is spitting out puffs of smoke. A few different noises come from the tree nest, like a high pitched squealing. A strange creature runs out of the nest. It's furless, except for a small patch on it's head.

"What is that?" I ask, scrunching my nose up.

"I think it's a Twoleg kit." Frozenpaw states. "My mentor, Troutspots, told me about them."

"It looks strange! Where's it's fur?" Flamepaw meows with a slightly disgusted look.

"They don't have fur. I wonder how they survive Leafbare." Breezepaw snorts.

"I want a closer look!" Frozenpaw bounds forward despite our protests. She gets a few fox-lengths away from the Twoleg kit, but that's when it notices her. With a sharp squeal, it starts to run towards her. Frozenpaw freezes, spitting snarls and hisses at the young Twoleg. It ignores her cries and goes to pick her up. I growl and dash forward to assist her. The other two are right behind me. "Help!" Frozenpaw cries, swiping at the Twoleg kit. It picks her up in its grubby paws.

I jump forward, claws unsheathed. They scratch the Twoleg kit's arm, making it stumble back and drop Frozenpaw. Taking a protective position in front of her, I snarl at the kit. It sniffs then cries loudly. My ears flinch back at the shrillness of it. Not even a bird in the forest goes that high.

"Look out!" Breezepaw yowls. "Another is coming." Just as she says that, a bigger Twoleg comes out of the nest. It has longer fur on its head and looks different from the kit. It says something in its foreign tongue, holding up something long with a weird patch of dried grass at the end. Before I know it, the weapon comes swinging at me. I hiss and bat at it to no avail. The next swing hits my side, causing my to fly to the ground. Flamepaw takes my place, biting onto the dried hay. The bigger Twoleg cries out, trying to pull it away from him. He refuses to let go and uses his strength to pull it out of the Twoleg's grip.

"Run!" He yowls. I stagger up and make a made dash away from the strange nest. The Twolegs yell behind us, sounding very angry. We run until the yowls grow faint. I slow down, panting heavily.

"That was close." I grumble, finally noting the ache in my side. I wince and sit down, still breathing heavily.

"Are you ok?" Frozenpaw asks.

"I should be asking you that." I point out, raising my paw in her direction. She dips her head.

"Yes. Thank you, by the way."

"Hey! I helped, too!" Flamepaw exclaims jokingly. We all laugh, the tension dispersing.

"Did you see that thing cry when Sparkpaw scratched it?" Frozenpaw says, amusement clear in her tone.

"Yah, it over reacted. I've gotten way worse wounds than that." Breezepaw says.

"Me too!" Flamepaw boasts. I smile and shake my head.

"Come on, let's keep walking." I stand and start to walk in our original directions. The humorous talk keeps up while we walk, which I'm grateful of. It makes the stress ease up. Flamepaw was definitely a good choice to go on this journey.


	13. Chapter 12

**Warning: Mild violence in this chapter. Please comment.**

 **Sparkpaw's POV**

We had been walking for five sunrises now. Everyone seemed tired, including me. My paws were stringing, due to a little incident not long ago.

*Flash Back*

 _"Come on guys, hurry up." I urge. They all walked slowly, shoulders slagged with exhaustion. I tried to stay as energized as possible, but the walking was weighing on me as well. I just wanted to go faster. I look ahead at the bushy hills. I might as well just go scope it out while they are back here._

 _Dashing forward, I barely look where I'm running. Turns out that that was a bad idea. I looked up, not noticing the small drop in the hill. When my paw finds no solid ground, I look down in surprise. Falling forward, i cry out as I land, paw first, into a thin push. Thorns dig into my pads and sides, sharp and painful. I hiss in frustration and force my way out of the bush. The thorns rip at my pelt, taking a few tufts with it._

 _"Are you ok, Sparkpaw?" Breezepaw asks, trying to keep a straight face._

 _"I'm fine." I hiss in irritation and pull a thorn out of my pad. Sadly, we had used all our herbs when Flamepaw fell down the side of a small cliff. He was cut up pretty bad. He did it on accident, which was very funny. I guess I can't talk though since I just fell into a bush of bramble._

*Flash Back Over*

I should have been looking where I was going. Now my paws hurt every time I take a step.

"I hear thunder." Breezepaw murmurs tiredly. I perk my ears but hear no such thing. I guess that makes sense since she got the power of extra strong senses. My gold eyes dart up towards the sky. Dark clouds are creeping across it faster than they should be. It looks like a storm is coming straight for us. I look around to see nothing but open hills.

"We should hurry and find shelter." I meow and wince. The four of us speed up, dashing across the moors at a steady pace. Frozenpaw takes the lead just as the thunder starts to rumble. She sends me a quick glance before running forward with a sudden burst of speed. "Frozenpaw will search for shelter." I yell to the others. Flamepaw nods along with Frozenpaw. We run in a triangular position, me being in the front. The rain starts to fall behind us, quickly catching up.

Right before the rain reaches us, I catch sight of Frozenpaw ahead of us. She stands by a large rock cave that seems to come out of nowhere. I speed up even more, heading straight towards it. She dives inside as we reach it, following right on her tail. We all jumble into the cave, falling on top of each other. The rain soon pounds on the rock cave, but not a drop of water touches us.

"That was close." Frozenpaw breathes a sigh of relief. "Is everyone ok?" She asks sweetly.

"Beside's my paws, I think I'll be ok." I meow and start to lick my stinging paws. Flamepaw bumps me, chuckling quietly.

"At least you didn't fall off a cliff." He mews in a joking manner. I shove him lightly so he stumbles into Breezepaw. She hisses and bats his muzzle. He sputters and bats her back in retaliation. Frozenpaw buts them both with her head, separating them. I tilt my head to the side happily, but my eyes shift to the shadows at the back of the cave. The shadows suddenly disappear so I can see clearly. My eyes widen in surprise. Is this what StarClan meant when they said I would be able to see what is hidden? I can see into shadows?

"This cave goes pretty far back." I say quietly. Breezepaw shifts her ears and lets out a short meow. Her ears twitch as she listens.

"It does." She agrees, yellow-green eyes turning to me. "Can you see through the shadows?" I nod.

"That's so cool!" Flamepaw flops onto his side dramatically. "I only get strength that I haven't even been able to use yet."

"Stop whining like a new born kit." Breezepaw huffs. He scrunches his nose at her.

"We should explore." Frozenpaw suggests, blue eyes sparkling with curiosity. I look back into the cave, my ears flicking uncertainly.

"Something dangerous could be down their." Breezepaw states with a frown. She could be very reluctant. I had learned that Breezepaw doesn't trust anyone or anything very easily. She didn't let any of us guard while we slept until the fourth moon-rise. She was so tired by then that she couldn't keep her eyes open.

"Loosen up, Breezepaw." Flamepaw meows teasingly. He hops up onto his feed and moves deeper into the cave. "IT'll be fun!" I stand up to follow him, just in case he gets himself in danger. I can see the best of all of us, so I go first.

At first, the rock floor just stays even while the cave gets smaller. Once we get a few fox-lengths in, the floor starts tilting down. The air gets cooler and cooler, making anxious shivers wrack through my pelt. Our paw-steps echo off the moist stone walls is a eerie way. It continues to get darker, but everything is bright to me. It's just a long tunnel that goes deeper and deeper underground.

"You can still see?" Frozenpaw asks, a bit of uncertainty in her voice.

"Yes." I respond, knowing she won't see me nod in the darkness. "It's just a tunnel...Wait." I stop abruptly. There's a wall of fallen rocks blocking the way. "It's blocked." I mutter sourly.

"What?" Flamepaw steps forward and presses his paws to the stones. He narrows his eyes. "Let me try something." He steps back and slams his shoulder into the rocks. A bit of dust falls and the rocks shift.

"Do it again!" I mrow. He does as I say, slamming himself into the rocks. They shift even more, budging under his strength. With one last shove, the rocks crumble down, letting a ray of light into the tunnel. He smiles victoriously, tail waving excitedly.

"I feel like I have the power of LionClan behind me!" Flamepaw exclaims. I shush him while walking forward.

The tunnel opens up into a large cave. There's a small pool in the middle in which a spot of light shines on. A crack in the roof of the cave let's dim light in and the rain. It trickles into the pool, making a soft _pitter patter_ sound. The pool is clear, but I don't understand how it's their. There's no stream flowing into it nor waterfall.

"Let's rest here." Breezepaw mews, padding up to the pool. She curls up a few mouse-lengths away from it. Frozenpaw and Flamepaw follow after her and lay down. I sigh and pad up to the pool. It shines slightly, reminding me of the MoonPool. I wonder if StarClan knows of this place.

Frozenpaw looks at me with a questioning expression. The sad look must show on my face. I can't help but think of Rosepaw.

"What's on your mind, Sparkpaw?" Frozenpaw asks softly.

"I'm worried..about Rosepaw."

"Don't worry, we'll find her." Flamepaw says confidently. I just nod, but I'm not convinced.

' _Please be ok, Rosepaw.'_

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **Rosepaw's POV**

' _Please be ok, Rosepaw.'_ The solemn voice rings in my head. My ears droop, thinking about my brother so worried about me. Things are getting rougher, meaning more cats are getting hurt. More cats are being left in the dark cave that we call "home". The dingy smell of mold fills my nose and the noise of distressed whispers meet my ears.

I felt as worried as Sparkpaw sounded. Dustpaw had been taken out of the den after saying something about the dark cats. He could be dead, but that's never the case. Whenever a cat disappears, they always come back close to death, but not there just yet.

Suddenly, a tattered figure is thrown into the dark cave. I immediately recognize it to be Dustpaw. With a gasp, I dash towards him. His dusty brown pelt is torn and bloody, scattered with wounds. One of his ears is shredded and blood drips into right eye. His breath is ragged and pained as he cringes.

"Dustpaw. Are you ok?" I whisper and start to groom his pelt. I ignore the taste of bloody iron and continue to lick him clean.

"I'm f-fine." He stutters breathlessly. His voice is weak and he doesn't seem to be moving much. "My eye hurts."

A dark figure pads up to us, and I know it's not a Clan cat. It's a she-cat with long black fur and dark red tabby stripes. A few roses are tangled in her fur and her tail is longer, like all dark cats'. Her dark crimson eyes look at Dustpaw then at me. Something hangs from her jaw.

"Use these to take care of him." She says in a careless voice, but I see a slight twinge of sympathy in her red eyes. With a curt nod, she walks back out. I open the small bag to find herbs and cobwebs inside. I start to chew them into a poultice like I've seen Roselight do before. Once I spread them on his cuts, I ask another question.

"What happened?" He winces and sits up with my help. I don't know what to do with his eyes, but blood is already in it.

"Well..."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **Dustpaw's POV**

"These cats are fox-dung." I growl angrily. Rosepaw looks at me with wide, scared eyes. My own widen, realizing what I just said. I feel a sudden pull and I'm suddenly being dragged out of the cave. I hiss and fight, trying to hit my taker, but It's as if nothing's there. How can these cats be so quick and hear everything we say. It's like they're in the shadows.

"This will teach you to speak of us in such away." A guttural, cracked voice growls. I'm tossed into a second cave. A fire burns in the middle of the cave, giving some type of light. I flinch, no longer used to the brightness. When I look around, my eyes fall on a dark figure on the other side of the cave.

It's a cat of sorts. He has a mangy black pelt and bright, crazy red eyes. He has an insane smile on his muzzle. Scars ripple across his pelt, uncountable. Is that dry blood in his fur? The deranged tom has abnormally long, sharp claws, matching his fangs. A dark aura surrounds him, one of evil.

"Oh, another victim." He says, voice rough and cracked. It sounds like he hasn't used it in seasons. He staggers forward on unsteady paws. Is this cat diseased? "I wonder what you did. It must have been brilliant." He says thoughtfully, sharp sarcasm dripping from his dry, crusty tone. It makes me step back fearfully. I have never seen a cat like this.

"Who are you?" I ask, trying to sound bold, but my voice shakes.

"Oh, a brave one, eh?" He laughs harshly, stumbling over his own paws. He looks at me with blank eyes. "My name's Madness."

"What are you going to do?" I ask, taking another step back.

"I'm going to do what they tell me to do." He says dryly, suddenly seeming to focus. His eyes cloud over as he cackles. "And I'll do it joyfully." The tom suddenly dives forward, coming straight at me. His teeth sink into my shoulder and his long claws tear through my pelt. I yowl in pain, trying to fight back. He dodges and quickly attacks, slicing his claws through my side. Blood gushes from the wound, quickly creating puddle below me. My back is pressed against the cave wall, leaving me no where to run. I wince and lean on my left leg. "Can't kill." Darkness mutters. "Not allowed to kill."

He lunges forward again, catching my ear in his teeth. I pull away, feeling a painful ripping in my ear. His claws rake across my face, right above my left eye. The crimson red blood drips into my eye, causing it to burn. I lash out blindly, feeling my claws tear into his thick pelt. He hisses and continues to scratch my body. I growl, trying to bat him away, but it doesn't work. The pain just keeps coming.

Finally, I slump to the floor. Blood drips from my fur, turning it a dark red. My eyes roll back in my head as the pain threatens to over come me. Darkness backs away, his eyes wide and crazy. One word describes the look he's giving me. Blood-thirsty. I don't have much blood left though as it slowly drains from my body. My wounds are open and raw, but none of them are life threatening, unless they continue to bleed.

Something lifts me up and the next thin I know, I'm back in the dark cave. Rosepaw stands over me with a beyond worried look. It all hurts to bad, especially my eye. It feels like it's on fire. I can't even see through all the blood. The pain flows through me in sharp waves. I tell her I'm fine, but I know neither of us believe it. She patches me up and cleans most of the blood off. There's no saving my ear though, and I'm not so sure about my eye either. As long as I'm alive to protect Rosepaw, I'll be happy though.


	14. Chapter 13

**Sparkpaw's POV**

 _"I don't understand StarClan, where are we supposed to go?" I look up at the starry night and sigh. One of the stars seems to move and get closer. I narrow my eyes as it falls to the ground in front of me. The star turns to mist, swirling about to make a figure. Once again, I find Bluestar standing before me with a calm expression._

 _"Don't give up, Sparkpaw." She murmurs, blue eyes ablaze._

 _"What are we supposed to do?! How are we supposed to find this place where the sun doesn't touch?" I ask desperately. She remains placid even after my outburst._

 _"You just need to remember this. If those cats dare to kidnap our own, then their hearts are dead, burnt up." She mews softly, leaning forward to lick my forehead. It feels like a wisp of air and I close my eyes._

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

When I open my eyes again, I'm looking at my three sleeping companions. The storm had settled down in our sleep, but a small trickle of water still dripped through the crack in the ceiling. I stare at my own reflection blankly, my mind running Bluestar's words on repeat. dead? Burnt? What did she mean by those words? Was it a clue as to where the evil cats are keeping out Clan-mates?

Leaning down, I lap up some of the cold, refreshing water. It calms my mind slightly. I sit up, looking around the cave. The sun was shining through the crack, illuminating the cave. The walls were slightly damp and cold. It keeps the whole cave at a low temperature, but not cold enough to make us freeze. It's very comfortable, in fact.

"Good morning." Frozenpaw paw meows sleepily, her jaws spread wide in a yawn. Her eyes are glazed over groggily.

"Morning." I meow quietly. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine."

"I slept wonderfully!" Flamepaw stretches in his spot. I realize that they're all awake. each stretching and yawning lazily. I blink, yawning myself.

"We should go, we have more walking to do." Flamepaw groans loudly.

"I don't want to walk!" He hisses. I huff, lowering my head. I completely understand why he wouldn't want to. I need to get him more excited. An idea suddenly comes to mind. I look at him with a twinkling mischief in my eyes. Out of nowhere, I dive forward and playfully attack him. "Aaaghh!" We go tumbling a few tail-lengths. I bat at his muzzle, trying to wake him up. He pushes me off with his back legs, in turn tackling me. We fight each other for a while until Breezepaw separates us.

"Better?" I look at him expectantly. He chuckles, tail flicking happily.

"Yes! Now, lets' go." We start our journey again, climbing out of the cave and through the tunnel.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Something smells burnt." Breezepaw meows with a crunched nose. I nod, also smelling faint traces of old fire. _Burnt._ Didn't Bluestar say something about burning?"

"I'll go check it out." Frozenpaw dashes forward on her quick feet. Her tail is out of sight within seconds. Breezepaw, Flamepaw, and I walk at a steady pace. I admire the lively trees around us. They are a vibrant green color, growing healthily. The mix of freshness and ash make a strange combination. Frozenpaw suddenly appears in front of us, panting slightly. Her eyes glimmer. "You guys need to check this out." She mews urgently. She tosses her head behind her and runs in that direction.

"Well, I wonder what has her all excited." Breezepaw mutters bitterly, still cranky from having to walk so far. I shrug my shoulders and start to speed up. My paws have scabbed over, making it less painful to run. I'm glad for it, because the urgency in Frozenpaw's voice makes me very curious.

We run to the top of an incline where Frozenpaw stands. She turns her head to look past the peak, tail twitching. I come to stand behind her, about to say something. But the sight before causing my voice to fail. It's just all, black.

Every single living thing is burnt to a crisp. The trees are black, probably so fragile that the wind could blow them away. Anything on the ground has been turned to ashes. The strong smell of fire covers the area, almost as bad as the scent from the big Thunderpath. It makes my eyes water slightly. Somehow, even though there aren't many trees, shadows still lurk around the burnt forest.

"This is horrible." Flamepaw mutters.

"I think something like this happened in ThunderClan's forest territory." I say thoughtfully, remembering stories from before the Clans moved to the lake. "Bluestar said something about dead and burnt up." I all but whisper.

"Bluestar? She talked to you? When?" Frozenpaw turns to me eagerly, wanting the knowledge.

"Last night." I reply. "She said that the dark cats would have dead, burnt up hearts. It sounded like a clue."

"What if they're here somewhere?!" Flamepaw looks around with narrowed eyes, as if he can find them from up here.

"But the sun touches up here." Breezepaw points out. His expression turns sour.

"What if..." I look around. "What if they're underground?"

"Ask your sister, mouse-brain. I think she can tell if she's underground or not." Breezepaw snorts, looking at me with a blank stare. Oh! I never thought of that!

"I'll do that." I close my eyes and focus. _'Rosepaw? Are you underground?'_ I try to ask her.

 _'Yes. We're in a dark cave. There's no light.'_ Her voice is louder, so she must be close. They have to be around here!

"They are underground." I confirm.

"Well great." Breezepaw mutters sarcastically. "Now what are we supposed to do, Sparkpaw? Go charging in to rescue them?"

"She's right. That won't work." Frozenpaw agrees. I sigh, plopping down on the ashy grass.

"We need an opportunity." Flamepaw says, completely serious. That's a first.

"We _need_ to figure out their plan." I stress. "Why would they take the apprentices and kits? There must be a reason." The three others nod. We all sit in thought, not a word is exchanged. Different ideas float through my mind, but none of them seem to work.

"What if we find one of their tunnels and sneak in? Then I can listen to the plans." Breezepaw offers.

"I could distract them." Frozenpaw pipes in.

"And I can guard Breezepaw." Flamepaw meows.

"Good. I'll be your eyes." With the new plan, we put it into action. The four of us move into the burnt around, searching for any tunnel opening. The ash feels soft and flaky under my paws. I keep my eyes open, searching for any holes in the ground that could lead to a tunnel. The other three apprentices walk in different directions, but not far enough for us to lose sight of each other. Frozenpaw is darting around, searching different areas quickly. Breezepaw sniffs and listens for any drafts or cave smells.

"Find anything?" Flamepaw asks. I shake my head.

"Not yet." I continue to search.

"I found one!" Breezepaw exclaims.

"Me too." Frozenpaw says right after her. I pad over to Breezepaw. She pulls back a bush, letting it crumple into nonexistence. There's a hole, leading into a tunnel.

"It smells stale, like it hasn't been used in a while." She comments. I nod in agreement, taking a whiff of the scent. A small draft flows from it, carrying the scent, but it is indeed stale. "Do you think they're really down there?"

"Yes." I reply firmly. I look over to Frozenpaw. She stands at a second entrance that is farther away. I nod to her."Get in the bush. Frozenpaw is going to distract them." I usher the other two into a bush. It'll hide our scent as well.

Frozenpaw leans down next to the entrance, putting her head right in front of it. She lets out a loud, ear-piercing yowl. I flinch, laying my ears back. She does this multiple time, until I see her ears twitch. She looks at me with gleaming eyes. She could be quite the mischief maker. She nods again and turns, taking off running in the opposite direction. I watch closely as several figures that look like mere shadows. What are these cats?!

Once the cats disappear, we move to the tunnel entrance. I go in first, because I'm the only one who can lead them. Breezepaw follows, her ears swiveling back and forth to catch any noise. Flamepaw walks beside her since the tunnel is wide enough for them to walk side by side. We walk silently, not daring to make a sound. My paws practically glide down the steep path.

"Can you hear anything?" I whisper over my shoulder.

"Not yet." She mumbles. We walk for a while and the path starts to even out a bit. I keep close to one wall where I know the shadows are. I open my senses as well to see if I can find anything.

 _'This is creepy.'_ Flamepaw thinks within his head. I shake my head with a small smile.

"Stay calm, Flamepaw." I murmur. He snorts and glares at me.

"Don't read my thoughts." He grumbles. I flick my tail and smile again. Suddenly, I stop. There's a strange, flickering shape on the wall.

"Get against the wall." I meow urgently. We press ourselves against the cold rocks, deeper in the shadows. I look at the flickering, slithering shape, but find it slightly familiar. Is that fire? These cats know how to control fire?!

"I hear something!" Breezepaw whisper exclaims. She closes her eyes and focuses on the voices. I can also hear faint noises, but they're unclear. I use my powers to try and hear better.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-+-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **3rd Person POV**

A pitch black tom stands in the middle of the cave, his poison green eyes glaring at a dark brown tabby tom. The second tom looks down in fear of his leader.

"You called for me, Venom?" The brown tabby asks in a deep voice. His burning amber eyes flick up to the black tom, Venom. It was known that Venom is vicious and kills for no reason. Getting on his bad side was asking for a death wish. The brown tabby, Rage, knew very well. His torn ear was an example of the leader's rage.

"Yes, I did." Venom says in a calm voice, but ice is layered beneath it. His yellow-streaked eyes stare the dark tabby down. "Are the fighters ready?"

"Yes, sir." Rage nods.

"And the hunters?" Venom demands.

"Not yet, sir. Many of them just left to take care of a disturbance." His voice shakes lightly. Venom hisses irritably, his glare darkening.

"I want them back quickly. We are to attack while those Clan cats are in confusion." He growls. "I want the lake to run red with their blood."

The three apprentices in the tunnel look at each other with wide eyes. The dark cats were planning on attacking the Clans?! Sparkpaw listens again.

"Yes, sir. I'll get on it right away." Rage bows his head.

"We leave in the morning. You are dismissed." Venom flicks his tail towards the tunnel exit opposite of the one the apprentices stand in. Rage scurries out of the cave, trying to get far away from the leader as quick as possible. He dashes through the tunnels until he reaches a much larger cave. Several cats lounge around, waiting for orders. To the right, there's a much darker cage that is fenced off. That is where the stolen Clan cats are.

"Oblivion." A dark brown she-cat trots forward. "Is the last group back?"

"Not yet." She mews blankly, her dark blue eyes flicking up to his amber ones. "They're still out near the Clans. They'll be back soon."

"They better be." Rage growls bitterly. "Venom is getting upset. He wants to leave."

"Understood." She bobs her head to the tom. He's second in command of the Dark Cats, as the Clans called them.

Things were about to get even worse for the Clans.


	15. Chapter 14

**Sparkpaw's POV**

"We need to warn the Clans!" I meow quietly as we pad back up the tunnel. Worry clouds my mind. These cats are dangerous, they could do some serious damage. The Clans might not survive a surprise attack by these vicious cats.

"We can't just leave the kits and apprentices." Breezepaw points out. I sigh in irritation as we reach the surface. She's right. We came here to rescue the kits and apprentices, there is no way we can just leave them here. I want to make sure that Rosepaw is safe.

"Then what are we going to do?" I turn to her, trying to come up with a way too rescue the taken cats and warn the Clans. Her ears lay back slightly. Suddenly, a twig snaps, making us all flip around to face the sound. My eyes land on a panting cat that I recognize instantly by her pale grey and white pelt.

"Frozenpaw!" Flamepaw meows excitedly. She's bent over, panting harshly. It looks like she just ran for a whole day without stopping.

"I...out ran...them." She says between pants. "They lost me when I started running all over the place to mix up my scent."

"Good." Suddenly, an idea pops into my head. I perk up, sitting up straighter. "I have an idea!" All three heads turn to look at me. "Frozenpaw, how long would it take you to run to the clans at top speed?"

"Maybe half a day or a full one." She mews thoughtfully, finally regaining her breath.

"The dark cats are going to leave in the morning to attack the Clans. I need you to run and warn them. We will stay to rescue the apprentices and kits." She nods understandingly.

"I'll leave now to get there as quick as possible." She meows with a bob of her head. Then Frozenpaw turns around and dashes out of the burnt forest, kicking up ash behind her. I turn to the other two. Flamepaw has a spark in his eyes and he can't stay still. Breezepaw stays calm, waiting for me to talk.

"This is going to be great! Those mouse-brains won't know what hit them!" Flamepaw puffs out his chest proudly.

"We'll wait until they leave, I'm guessing?" Breezepaw looks at me quizzically, ears tilted to the side slightly. My tail waves energetically, the tip twitching with slight anxiety.

"That's right. They will not suspect a thing." I smile. "Now, let's find a place to sleep." I stand and pad off in search of some type of den. It can't be too close to the tunnels, or else they might find us.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The sun was slowly rising in the lightening sky. I stood at the opening of our sleeping place. My pupils were narrowed as I scan the lifeless forest. Each of us took turns staying up for surveillance reasons. I have been watching since the moon was halfway down the sky.

"Did you see anything?" I swing my head to see Breezepaw yawning sleepily. Flamepaw is still fast asleep, nose buried in the fur of his tail. The white and grey tabby she-cat pads up to sit beside me. My tail twitches before wrapping around to cover my paws. My stomach is churning as I think of finally being able to see Rosepaw.

"Not yet. They should be leaving soon though." I murmur softly, eyes still locked on the expanse of dead land before me. There were small signs of life, showing that the forest was no lost cause. Tiny stems were popping out of thee ground, small leaves growing off of them.

"You're worried." Breezepaw looks at me with a blank stare, but a small sparkle of caring gleams in her eyes.

"What makes yo-" I'm cut off when I catch movement in my peripheral vision. My head jolts so my eyes can follow the movement. A long line of black shadows moves from one of the openings that lead to the dark cats caves. It looks like a dark stream that is rushing over many rocks. They lowly trickle to a little line before the shadows stop coming out of the hole. I watch as they dash out of sight.

"They're gone." Breezepaw says, sounding hesitant.

"Yes, but I'm sure that they've left guards." I meow.

"Nothing we can't handle." Flamepaw comes striding up to us, very much awake now. We both glance at him quickly. I did not hear him walking towards us, so my fur bristles and my body jolts.

"Don't scare me like that, you mouse-brain!" I hiss angrily, swatting his muzzle. He flicks me with his tail in retaliation.

"Will you two calm down?!" Breezepaw gives us a scary glare, one that could make any warrior freeze. "We need to go in and rescue the kits and apprentices."

"She's right." I mumble, bowing my head. Flamepaw also falls silent. "They will probably have guards set. We need to be quiet and take them down as quickly as possible. I want to get back to the Clans soon."

I stand, stretching my legs as I step out of the shadows if the cave we were in. The sun feels great on my red pelt. My currently orange-yellow eyes blaze like fire in the light, glinting with gold. I check to make sure that there are no shadow cats before dashing into the open area. Breezepaw and Flamepaw run after me.

We approach one of the tunnel opening and slow down. I come to a full stop, my eyes adjusting to see into the shadows. A dull breeze flows from it, bringing a muggy, earthy smell with it. No sound comes from within.

"Are you two ready?" I ask carefully. Both the tom and she-cat nod in agreement. With one last breath, I trod down into the cave. Thanks to my power, it is a bright as it was outside. That does not mean there are no shadows. Several line the edges of the walls, running along each side of us.

It does not take long for us to reach the main cave. Breezepaw checks for any noise, darting her tongue out to taste the air. She flicks her tail, signaling us to move forward. One paw-step at a time, I creep into the larger cave. A small fire flickers in the middle, making the room smell of thick smoke. It is gagging. Every breath in makes me want to hack out coughs.

"Where are they?" I wonder aloud, ears pricked. Breezepaw steps up beside me, listening carefully. Her eyes are closed in concentration. I wait patiently, watching as she turns her head different ways. There are three different tunnels that lead out of the cave.

"This way." Breezepaw nods her head to the tunnel to the right.

"Good." I mew calmly. "Flampaw, I want you beside me." He switches places with Breezepaw. His eyes are hard and serious, unusual for the apprentice. His muscles are taught, ready to spring. He is prepared to fight. "Let's go."

I lead them into the tunnel. It is not as dark, since the fire is flickering behind us, so they can see easily. My eyes are normal, not brightening the space at all. I do not need it anyways. My paws fall silently as I walk, shoulder blades shifting with each step.

"Just keep going forward. I can hear them." Breezepaw murmurs. I trust her word and speed up slightly. The flickering light of the fire is starting to disappear, casting more shadows over us. There is more light ahead, signaling another cave.

We stop right as the tunnel opens into the cave. I shush the other two before poking my head around. There is a second cave connected to this one, but it is pitch black add blocked off by bramble and vines. That must be where the apprentices and kits are.

A foul stench hits my nose. I look around to see two cats, both toms. One has a pale brown pelt that is coated in mud, dark blue eyes cold and calculating. The second is black and white, pelt covered in old and fresh scars. His eyes are two different colors, one is amber, one is a brown-black color. These cats are quite unusual. They look cruel and dangerous, much bigger than a normal cats. The brown one has long fangs as well, ones that poke out from his muzzle a bit.

"Scar, do you smell that?" The brown one asks, narrowing his dark eyes as he opens his mouth to scent the air. His fangs gleam in the fire's light. The black and white tom, apparently named Scar, does the same. I stiffen, holding my breath. The fur along my spine bristles.

"I do, Amnesia." Scar narrows his eyes, looking in our direction. My heart pounds as I prepare myself.

"Now." I whisper to my companions. Flamepaw flicks his ears happily before charging out with me. I let out a vicious battle cry. "Mreoow!" The two toms growl and charge at us. Flamepaw collides with Amnesia, the bigger of the two dark cats. They both spit and yowl, clawing at each others pelts.

I tackle Scar, claws unsheathed. My fangs sink into his shoulder as I try to get a good grip. Scar growls in slight pain, but spins, flinging me into a new rock wall. I yelp as my shoulder slams into the wall, pain shocking through me. Breezepaw attacks him next, attacking him from behind.

I get up, gritting my teeth. When I look towards Flamepaw, I see he is an even match against Amnesia, matching each move with his own. Breezepaw and I will have to double team Scar.

"Kya!" I jump back into action, body slamming Scar. He staggers side ways. Breezepaw jumps away from him, going to my side. Scar spits angrily, fur tattered and bristling. He glares at us before stepping back, paw moving into the shadows. I watch in surprise as he disappears.

"Where'd he go?!" Breezepaw wails, stepping back nervously. My pupils narrow and the shadows shift. I can see Scar, but his features are blurred, shadowed. He...He turned into a shadow.

"I see him." I growl and lunge forward, attacking him. Scar yowls as my teeth sink into his shoulder again. He turns back to normal, eyes wide with surprise and astonishment. He did not think I would be able to see him.

"You little Clan runt!" He spits, twisting and turning to try and get me off. I cling on, sinking my claws into his back as well. Scar grunts and flops over on his back, squishing me below him. I go limp, trying to regain my breath. Scar gets up and spins on his paws, claws slashing through my pelt. I cringe as they slice through my flesh. Blood drips through my dark red pelt, speckling the the rock floor. Scar raises on his back paws, ready to come crashing down on me, full force.

I flinch, and try to move. Scar stops, eyes once again going wide in surprise. I freeze, watching as he looks around. His lips turn up in a snarl. I can smell the confusion on him. I look down on my paws, only to see shifting shadows.

"Sparkpaw, where are you?" Breezepaw asks, worry clear in her tone. I am a shadow. Is this the second power StarClan spoke of? I can become a shadow, just like th dark cats. This can work to my advantage.

3I crouch down, rocking on my hunches. Out of nowhere, I dive out and attack Scar. He yowls in surprise as I knock him over and slash at his belly. Ripping some fur out, I dive back into the shadows. I notice Flamepaw is having some trouble with Amnesia. He is in a corner, the big tom looming over him. I run through the shadows to them and run straight into Amnesia, knocking him away. Flamepaw looks around in confusion but takes the opportunity to attack the dark tom.

I come back into the light, shaking out my pelt. Scar turns at snarls at me. Breezepaw watches silently as we charge at each other. I dive under him, flipping on my back, and forcing him up with my back feet. Great StarClan, he is heavy!

Scar lands harshly on the ground, bicolor eyes glowing angrily. He spits at me, fur bristling to make him look larger. He charges at me, claws out stretched. Before I can move, he is on top of me, claws sinking into my back. I yowl in pain, writhing below him desperately.

"You are no match for us, Clan scum. Your friends will all be dead soon." Scar growls lowly. I flick my ear and continue to squirm, trying to get him off.

"Get off of him!" Breezepaw yowls. She flings herself at Scar, barreling into him. I scramble to my feet to help her out. Breezepaw nods to me as I stand beside her. We turn to Scar, and with a loud cry, both charge at him. I slash his muzzle while Breezepaw flings herself on top of him. Scar snarled and spins, snapping at her. He then goes for me, biting my leg. I can hear a loud crack as his jaws crush the bone. I yowl in pain and slash at him with my free paw. Scar lets go of my leg, which I hold to my chest.

"Don't under estimate my Clan." I growl at him before rising on my back paws and slamming my one paw on his head. His eyes roll back in his head and he falls limp. Breeezepaw skitters off of his back, panting harshly. Scar's chest still rises and falls steadily. He is still alive. "He may be evil, but I don't want to kill anyone." I murmur.

"Understandable." Breezepaw mews softly. I glance over to see Flamepaw approaching us. His shoulders sag and he staggers across the rock ground. His side is bleeding, along with his tail and the top of his head. His pelt is tattered and a bit bloody. We are all tired.

"That was interesting." He pants out, slumping onto the floor. "You have there power though. That's cool." He sighs and lets his head fall to rest on the floor. I nod, sitting down, but then remember the apprentices and kits.

"We have to get them out." I mew urgently and stand, but end up slumping bcase of thee pain in my leg. It is definitely broken.

"Take it slow, Sparkpaw. We don't need you passing out or anything." Flamepaw speaks up and pretends to faint. I laugh quietly and shake my furry head.

"This isn't a time for jokes, Flamepaw." Breezepaw says firmly. She gives him a blank look. He shrinks back a bit, finding it more interesting to lick his paw. I lick my injured paw, cleaning the blood from my fur. I shift my eyes, which are gold at this point, to the dark cave attached to ours. I open my mouth, different scents hitting the scent gland in my mouth. I can smell many different cats from different Clans. The low hum of murmuring fills my ears.

"They're in there." I limp to the bramble wall, holding my paw up close to me. The pain pulses throughout my body, but I try to ignore it. Rosepaw needs me. Just the thought of seeing her makes the pain fade a little. "Flamepaw, can you break the wall down?" I turn to look at him over my bloody shoulder. I guess Scar did a bit more damage than I thought.

"Sure thing." He stretches before standing up straight. The young tom walks to the thick plant wall with a thoughtful expression. He bites into a branch without thorns and gives it a firm yank. The wall budges a bit. He growls and gives it a harsh tug, the wall crumbles as he pulls part of it away. Light from the fire filters it, shining into the dark, wet cave. It smells of mold, cats, and dirt. The murmurs get louder.

"Is it a dark cat?"

"There's three."

"Is that-"

"Sparpaw!" A dark red figure comes hurdling out of the darkness to knock me down. My breath is knocked from my lungs as I go sprawling. The pain resurfaces quickly, making me wince. "I knew you would come." Rosepaw nuzzles my neck, purring happily.

"Rosepaw, can't breathe." I wheeze out. She mews an apology before getting off of me. I gulp in air before sitting up, holding my paw up. Her worried orange eyes scan over me. I stand stiffly.

 _'He's hurt.'_ She thinks worriedly.

"I'm fine." I lick her forehead comfortingly. The tension in her body eases a bit, but she seems reluctant.

More cats filter into the light. I recognize Dustpaw and the other apprentices and kits from my Clan. Dustpaw pads up to Rosepaw and stands beside her. His hazel eyes gaze around the cave, eventually landing on the two unconscious dark cats.

"Did you do this?" He asks. I notice how tattered he looks. There's wounds all over him, healing slowly, his ear is practically torn off. and his eye seems...foggy.

"Not just me. StarClan sent Flamepaw, Breezepaw, Frozenpaw, and me to save you all. They even gave us powers." I mew proudly. But then my ears droop back against my head sadly. "Frozenpaw had to run all the way back to the Clans to warn them of an attack. That's why the rest of the dark cats are gone."

"Oh no!" Rosepaw gasps, leaning on Dustpaw. I narrow my eyes slightly. They must have gotten close while they were here. Yet, I find myself grateful that Rosepaw had someone to comfort her when I could not.

"What happened to you?" I cast my curious gaze on Dustpaw. He shifts a bit, twisting his tail.

"If one of us acted out or said something against the dark cats, they took us to this one cave. Inside, there's this insane cat named Madness. He gave me a few nasty wounds. A lot of blood got into my eye and now I can barely see out of it." Rosepaw licks his cheek softly. My ears twitch.

"Hopefully it doesn't effect your chances of becoming a warrior." I mew. He nods in agreement. I look around, watching as the cats get into groups, mainly around Flamepaw and Breezepaw. The commotion is loud, all the cats speaking at once. I see a large rock on one side of the cave. "I'll be back." I say to my sister and Dustpaw before bounding to the rock. I climb up the jagged surface until I reach the top

Breezepaw and Flamepaw notice me and come bounding to the rock also. I give them a hard look. We have to figure out what to do. These kits cannot walk six days straight to get back to the Clans. I am sure the apprentices are all drained as well.

"Please gather below this rock and listen!" I yowl. All eyes turn to me, sparkling with hope and joy from being set free. I wait for them to fall silent and listen to me. I feel a sense of leader ship flow through my veins. This must be what the leaders feel like when they call a Clan meeting. "I know most of you must be tired, but we can not sit and rest now. We must start on our way to the Clan territories. Soon, our Clan-mates will be attacked by the dark cats, and we must be there to help. We need to leave now. I want each apprentice to keep an eye on a kit. If any kits get tired, they are to be carried. Understood?" Mews of acceptance sound around me. "Good. Now, follow Flamepaw, Breezepaw, and I, we will lead you home." I hop down from the rock.

"You'd make a good leader, Sparkpaw." Flamepaw pokes me with his paw. I shrug my shoulder, but end up cringing in pain.

"Let's go. I'm afraid I might not be that strong at the moment." I limp towards the tunnel we came from.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **3rd Person POV**

Frozenpaw comes to a skidding halt as she runs into RiverClan camp. All heads turn to look at her, eyes sparkling curious. She pants furious, slumping slightly. She had ran for a whole day to reach the Clas.

"Frozenpaw?" Splashstar looks at the apprentice in surprise and confusion. "What is wrong? Where are the three other apprentices?"

"The d-dark cats are c-coming to attack th-the Clans." Frozenpaw wheezes. "I came to warn everyone. The others are s-saving the apprentices and k-kits." The leader's eyes grow icy as she spits angrily.

"When will they be here?" She asks the apprentice.

"Five or six sunrises." Frozenpaw stands up straighter and licks her shoulder nervously.

"Warriors, prepare for battle. I want this camp as safe as possible." Splashstar turns and nods to Frozenpaw. "Go warn the other Clans. I am calling a meeting on the island at Moonhigh tomorrow." Frozenpaw nods, taking a deep breath, before dashing out of the camp. Cats scatter around, preparing for the on-coming dark cats.

Splashstar looks up at the bright sky. Thick clouds cost across it lazily. It seems like noting will go wrong. She sends up a silently plea.

 _Please help us, StarCan_


	16. Chapter 15

**Sparkpaw's POV**

I twist my head around to survey the tired apprentices and kits that follow me. It was the second sunrise that we had been walking. I could tell some of the cats were ready to fall over and sleep. They all need to rest.

My eyes flicker to Rosepaw and Dustpaw, who walk on my right. They are both carrying a ThunderClan kit in their jaws. I recognize them as Pinekit and Sandkit, Petalheart's two sandy kits. Te third, Berrykit, stumbles beside me, being the oldest and strongest. When I glance to my left, I see Flamepaw and Breezepaw. Both have their heads low and eyes glazed over, showing how tired they are. I know how they feel. My leg is pulsing with a burning pain. My three good legs are weak, trembling with each step I take.

"Hey, Sparkpaw." I flick my ear in Rosepaw's direction, signaling that I am listening. "Do you remember the stories Mothwhiskers would tell us? About a she-cat outside the territory?"

"You mean the lone who once came into ThunderClan territory to ask for help getting the rats out of her nest?" Rosepaw nods. "Yah, I remember that story."

"Well, I was thinking." I cast her a curious glance. "What if we found her? I heard she has a big enough nest for everyone to rest in. Maybe she'll let us rest there." I flick my tail thoughtfully. She could be right. Mothwhiskers always said the loner had a kind heart.

"That's a good idea, Rosepaw." I purr. I then turn to Breezepaw. "Breezepaw, I want you to see if you can hear or scent anything that would be from a lone cat." She gives me a dubious look.

"Okay." She tilts her head up and scents the air. I watch carefully, waiting for her response. "I hear something."

"Okay, take the lead." She speeds up a bit to run in front of us. I try to speed up, but find my injured paw hindering.

"Sparkpaw." A small, quiet voice mews from beside me. I look down at the dark brown tabby kit. His eyelids are drooping and he is almost tripping over his own little paws. Berrykit looks at me with sleepy pale green eyes. "Can you carry me? My paws hurt."

"Sure, Berrykit." I lean down and gently grip his scruff between my jaws. He curls up as I pick him up off the grassy floor. He closes his eyes happily, practically falling limp in my grip. I limp on, trying to balance the extra weight.

"Do you want me to carry him? You're tired enough." Flamepaw murmurs, looking at me worriedly.

"I'm okay." My voice is muffled by the small kit hanging from my jaws, but it is understandable. Flamepaw nods and looks forward. I tilt my ears back to listen to the young cats chatting behind me. I am trusting every cat to look after each other so we do not leave anyone behind.

"It's getting closer." Breezepaw mews. I blink, focusing on following her. Her grey striped white tail waves in front of me as she keeps her nose up and ears perked. A warm scent drifts to my nose. Prey. Rabbits, mice, voles. The warm, fresh scent of the small living animals makes my mouth water. My stomach growls and I realize just how hungry I am.

Something rises on the horizon with the trees. When I look closer, I see it is an old twoleg-nest. It is made of logs, one wall breaking down, leaving spots big enough for cats to squeeze through. There's a few bricks on the top of the nest that are cracked and eroded. There is a hole in one wall that is covered with something I think is called glass. Some of the wooden logs have been stripped of their bark and I spot a few claw marks on some.

"Stay here, I'll go in." I murmur and trot up to a large open space that goes through the wall. Cautiously and with quiet steps, I move through the opening. My anxious orange eyes scan around. Sunlight streams through the cracks in the roof, lighting the large space up nicely. The floor that normal twoleg-nests have is gone, replaced by soft grass and moss. I suspect that the moss has been dragged in by whatever cat stays here. I set Berrykit down on a soft nest of moss.

"Hello, young one." A calm, regal voice purrs. I flip around on my three legs to find the source of the voice. My eyes land on a pale calico she-cat. Her unnaturally pale blue eyes watch me carefully. She stands proudly, fur sleek and smooth, except on the left side of her face which is horribly scarred. She has a type of majestic and confident air around her.

"Are you, Brightspirit?" I wonder. The elders told us many stories about her, including the one Rosepaw mentioned. She once was a leader of a tribe, but all over her family and her mate died. She then left to become a loner. Some say she is crazy and do not trust her, but those who have met her think she is kind.

"That is me. Are you from the Clans?" She asks calmly, sitting and curling her tail around her feet.

"Yes, I am. My name's Sparkpaw." I bow my head respectfully. "It's a long story, but me and many other cats need refuge. Many of us are tired." I mew to her. Her pale eyes warm as she looks at me, tilting her head to the side.

"I can smell the rest of your friends." She purrs. "You are all welcome to stay here. Hunt as much as you like. I'm interested in hearing why you are so far away from your territories." Brightspirit nods her head. I thank her before limping out to the rest of the young cats.

"Brightspirit is letting us stay here to rest. We are allowed to hunt, but we will split into groups to do that. The kits are to eat first." I yowl loudly. Rosepaw is the first to go into the broken down twoleg-nest and put down Pinekit. Dustpaw follows her. "Flamepaw, Breezepaw, make groups of your Clanmates to go hunting. It'll be like patrols." They nod and go off to find the apprentices from their Clans.

I catch sight of a black tom and brown tabby she-cat, Rowanpaw and Hopepaw. They stand close together, talking. I trot over to them.

"It's nice to see you guys are okay." I mew. Rowanpaw looks at me with bright but tired dark green eyes.

"We'll survive." Hopepaw yawns.

"Well, do you two want to go on a hunting patrol with Rosepaw, Dustpaw, and I?" They both nod. My sister and Dustpaw trot up to us slowly. I glance at my sister with shining eyes.

"Are you sure you can hunt, Sparkpaw? Your leg must hurt a lot." She murmurs softly in concern.

"I'm fine." I say reassuringly and flick her with my tail. "We'll go this way," I gesture to the direction in which the sun is setting, "and split up. There's a lot of prey around, enough for everyone." They nod. I dip my head before padding off in the direction. They follow quietly, listening for prey.

I scent the air, many different smells bombarding me at once. IT's so strong, and I can hear the small animals scurrying about. I flick my tail, signaling for half of them to split. Rowanpaw and Hopepaw go a different direction while Rosepaw, Dustpaw, and I go another.

Slowing down, I walk as quietly as possible. It takes a while for me to balance my weight to make no noise, but I eventually do it. I keep most of my weight on my paws haunches as I stalk through the long grass. I scent the air again, finding a mouse nearby. It is nibbling leisurely on a seed. My mouth waters as I crouch into a hunting crouch, making sure my tail does not disturb the grass. I slowly crawl towards it until I am at pouncing distance. The mouse finally smells me, but I am already close enough. I jump and try to hook it with my front paw, but miss. The mouse dives away, me hot on its trail. I dive forward quickly and bite it sharply, killing it in an instant. It may not be my best work, but at least I caught it.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Once we have enough prey, we return to the twoleg-nest. The kits have broken into groups, each Clan sitting in different corners. The five kits of ThunderClan sit in the far right corner. Petalheart's kits are all sleeping together while Leafpebble's kits, Flowerkit and Darkkit and play-fighting. Leapingpaw, watches them caringly with soft eyes.

We take the prey we caught over to them. I drop my mouse and plumb rabbit onto the grassy floor. The rest of the apprentices each caught a good amount of prey, so our pile is a decent size.

"Wake up." Rosepaw nuzzles the three sleeping kits gently. Sandkit yawns groggily and squirms round. She wakes her two brother up with her movement. Rosepaw moves the kits to the pile of prey so they can eat.

"You still haven't told me why you're here." I glance over my shoulder with placid green eyes, catching Brightspirit's as she approaches. She sits next to me, eyes gazing at the kits. Dustpaw looks at her curiously, eyes narrowed. "I think I should at least know why you're here since 'm allowing you to stay."

"Well, it all started when the dark cats started stealing the Clans' apprentices and kits..." I go on to tell her the whole story. The kits listen while munching on their fresh-kill, enraptured by the adventure and danger. When I finally finish, the sun is halfway past the horizon.

"That's amazing!" Berrykit says in awe, eyes wide and sparkling. I purr slightly, glad I can distract them from the dangerous predicament that is going to happen soon. I grab a plump mouse from the dwindling pile and munch on it. My stomach is growling as loud as one of the twolegs' monsters.

Once everyone is finished eating, we curl up in moss nests to sleep. Rosepaw walks over to me and curls up beside me. I purr happily, burying my nose in her pelt. Her comforting scent fills my senses, making my muscles relax. She licks my shoulder, grooming my slightly messy pelt.

"You need to get your leg fixed. I'm sure there's some spiderwebs around here." She whispers while cleaning my pelt.

"At sunrise." I mumble into her red fur. She sighs and licks my cheek.

"Okay. Get some sleep. You're not a warrior yet." I nod sleepily. She rests her tail over my shoulders comfortingly. I am so glad she is back by my side. Rosepaw means the world to me. I can not live without her.

 _'Goodnight, Rosepaw.'_ I whisper mentally.

 _'Goodnight.'_


	17. Chapter 16

**Sparkpaw's POV**

"We can't take the kits with us." I think aloud. Breezepaw and Flamepaw nod in agreement. The calico tom lowers his head thoughtfully. Breezepaw flicks her tail back and forth, also deep in thought.

"Maybe they can stay here." Flamepaw suggests. I mull the thought over in my mind, looking up at the cracks in the roof. It is a good idea, but I do not want to burden Brightspirit with watching all the kits.

"We could leave a few apprentices to watch them." Breezepaw adds.

"And the rest can come to help fight the dark cats." I mew.

"I would be happy to have the kits stay." Brightspirit comes over to us, walking gracefully. We all dip our heads respectfully. After staying just one night I have fond tat Brightspirit is very kind-hearted and smart. It is very easy to tell she used to be a leader. "It's nice to have them around actually. It reminds me of my own kits." Her expression falls slightly at the thought of her dead kits.

"We would really appreciate it." I say to her. "One apprentice from each Clan can stay to watch the kits." Brightspirit dips her head contently.

"I'll stay." Leapingpaw says happily from behind me.

"And I will stay in case one of the kits gets hurt." Sparrowpaw, the WindClan Medicine Cat Aprrentice, purrs happily.

"I want to stay." A dappled grey she-cat, Sedgepaw, pipes in. The last to agree is Streampaw, a black and white dappled she-cat from RiverClan.

"Okay, since that's decided, we need to get going. We must keep up with the dark cats." I give them a hard look. "Gather the apprentices and we will leave." The two other apprentices dash off. I sigh, looking down at my injured leg. Rosepaw put two sticks along the sides and wrapped it in cobwebs as a make-shift splint. I am still able to hold my paw close to my chest though.

"It's been nice meeting you, Sparkpaw." Brightspirit bobs her head to me. "You need to come visit me again." She purrs.

"Thank you for letting us stay, Brightspirit. I really appreciate you letting the kits stay here." I say gratefully. "I will definitely come back." I then offer a flick of my tail as a goodbye and go outside where the rest of the apprentices are waiting. I hold my head high, taking the leader role. "When we reach the territories, the battle will most likely already have started. You all need to be ready to fight. Being a warrior means you are willing to lose your life to protect your Clan. Let's hold by that." Several cheers go up, the group of cats yowling in excitement.

"Let's go!" Flamepaw bounds ahead, completely full of energy MAybe we will catch up with the dark cats.

-:-:-:-:-:-

The dark shadows move quickly, climbing over fallen trees and boulders. I watch from the crest of a hill, eyes narrowed. Rosepaw crouches to my left and Flamepaw to my right. It took three sunrises, but we finally caught up with the dark cats. They are so close to the Clan territories.

"What are we going to do?" Rosepaw asks softly.

"Attack them?" Flamepaw asks eagerly.

"No. We wouldn't stand a chance." I mutter in a quiet voice. There is no telling how different these cats could be from us. They might have sharp hearing. If so, I do not want to give us away. "We need to follow them, but not let them no we're here. That way, when they attack the Clans, we can come in if we see any warriors that need help."

"Sounds like a good idea." Breezepaw says from beside Flamepaw.

A cold breeze passes through my pelt, making me shiver. When I trail my eyes up, I notice the dark clouds that black out any traces of light. A light booming, like a lion's roar, sounds in the distance. Another strong gust of wind blows over the hill, making me dig my claws into the ground to not be swept backwards. A storm is coming.

"We need to go quickly. I want to get to the territories before the storm strikes." I stand up, since the dark cats are out of sight, and creep along the crest of the hill. It will not take us long to get to our homes.


	18. Chapter 17

**3rd Person POV**

Lightstar stares out across the group of warriors and remaining apprentices. All the cats of ThunderClan and ShadowClan were waiting near the border of the territories, ready to ambush the dark cats. The RiverClan and WindClan cats were waiting close by if they needed back up. There is no telling how many dark cats there will be.

"Are your warriors ready?" Darkstar stands up beside the white and orange dappled she-cat. His gold eyes are hard and determined as he watches the horizon.

"Yes they are." Lightstar mews confidently. "Hopefully StarClan is watching over us. These odds we are facing may be big." The dark tabby tom nods in agreement. He knows his warriors are strong, but they have no idea who or what they are facing.

"Lightstar, would you like me to take a small patrol to keep an eye out for them?" Wolfscar asks. Lightstar nods and the black deputy dashes away. She gathers Bluefang, Spottedwing, and her mate, Hawkfur. The four cats go past the line of warriors and through the trees. As the trees thin out, they creep quieter, ears pricked.

Wolfscar flicks her tail, signaling for them to be still. She narrows her dark blue eyes. Shadows are shifting in the distance. It is harder to tell since the clouds were looming around them. She hopes that the storm does not start while the battle goes on.

"Those shadows are them." Wolfscar hisses, fur prickling. "Let's go back and warn the rest." She dashes off at top speed back to the awaiting cats.

Lightstar watches as her deputy comes running back. She looks like a shadow herself with how fast she is running. The leader tilts her head curiously as the black she-cat skids to a stop. One look says it all.

"They're here."

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Venom stares at the forest, green eyes narrowed. He had not been to the Clans' territories, but it was clear that they were there. He turns to look at is army of dark cats. Bloodthirsty eyes stared back at him, a vicious tension splitting the air.

"Are you ready to watch the Clans' blood spill on their own land?!" A round of ferocious yowls went up. "Are you ready to tear them to shreds?!" More excited cries. "Very well. But why don't we give them a fighting chance, eh?" His deep, scratchy voice holds a note of amusement in it, as if he knows the warriors will not stand a chance. "We will not use the shadows unless **I** say so. Understood?" Venom glares at the cats. They nod, fearful of their brutish leader. "Good. Now, attack." He says in a eerily calm voice.

The dark cats all let out vicious battle cries before charging towards the territories. Their paw steps rival the deep, booming thunder.

Lightstar watches as the sea of darkness rushes towards them. She tilts her head up, signaling for her Clan to stay still. "Wait until they reach the base of the hill." She commands.

Each cat waits, muscles tense ad ready to pounce. They eye each other anxiously, shifting nervously. Time seems to slow down at the rushing dark cats grow nearer. There is no movement from the Clan cats, not even the twitch of an ear. It is all still.

"NOW!" Lightstar yowls. The Clan cats give a mighty battle cry before dashing over the crest of the hill they are on. The dive down, running at top speed. They may be fewer than the dark cats, but their spirits are strong.

Lightstar waits behind, watching as the battle starts. Bodies and claws collide, cats spitting and hissing at each other. The dark cats are surprised by the attack, but fight none the less.

The white and orange she-cat hisses under her breath before charging after her warriors. She will protect her Clan and territory, even if it means the loss of one of her remaining five lives. Lightstar sinks her claws into the first dark cat she sees.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **Sparkpaw's POV**

"They're out numbered." I growl, swishing my tail madly. All the apprentices stand at the top of a hill across from the territories. The smell of blood is already filling the air. The only sound is that of the angry cats and the booming thunder.

"We need to help." Rosepaw mews urgently. I turn to the other cats, raising my head high. They look up to me, some looking helpless while others are determined.

"We will fight beside our Clan-mates. If you see a warrior that needs help, go to them. We must protect each other!" I say. With that small speech, I spin on my paws and dive into battle, the adrenaline overrunning the pain in my leg. Rosepaw runs beside me, looking as strong as ever. She is no longer the shy littermate that I need to protect. She is a grown cat who can take care of herself. She will make a magnificent warrior.

"Grr-aaar!" I tackle a dark black tom who is pinning Ashpelt to the ground with his claws at his throat. He hisses at me, flailing his paws. His claws scrape across my cheek, but I retaliate by dragging my back claws across his side. Jumping off immediately, I back up to stand beside Ashpelt.

"Great timing." He flicks me with his tail appreciatively.

"It's no problem." I murmur. We then tag team the tom, swiping at the same time. He can not go for us both. I somehow balance myself so I can swipe with my good front paw, putting my weight on my back paws so I can push up and then bring my claws down across dark tom's muzzle. It doesn't take him long to back down.

I look around for any other warrior that might need help. I Desertstorm and Foxfoot fighting a smokey grey and black dappled she-cat. They are do good, working together as a team, much like mates should. Nigthflower and Goldenhawk are fighting a dark brown tabby. When I look at the rest of the Clan cats, I see that they are getting tired. My eyes land on Lightstar who is pushing back a white and silver she-cat. I dart over to her.

"The warriors are getting tired." I mew as I help her chase the dark cat off. It's the first light-furred one I have seen.

"Sparkpaw! It's good to see your safe, though injured." She looks at my boken paw in concern. "You shouldn't be fighting."

"I'm fine." I say firmly. "I only see ThunderClan and ShadowClan. Where are the RiverClan and WindClan cats?"

"They will come when we need them." She says softly wile gazing at the fighting cats. I follow her gaze and see a white and light grey tabby she-cat from ShadowClan being tossed to the ground by a dark cat. Before the dark cat can bite into her neck a light grey tom with black stripes collides with it, knocking it to the ground. "Which would be about now." Lightstar hisses. She then tips her head back and yowls.

The WindClan and RiverClan warriors come bounding down the hill. They are full of unused energy, ready to pounce on the dark cats. I feel a sense of pride run through me. These cats may not be in my Clan, but they all come from the same heritage. We all came from the same group of cats who split into the four Clans. Now we have come together as one to eliminate this threat to the lake.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **3rd Person POV**

"There's more of them!" Venom snarl angrily. The rest of the Clan cats storm down into the thinly treed valley. Mainly of the ThunderClan and ShadowClan warriors step out of the battle, but only the ones who are too badly injured to keep going. They are bloody and shredded, mainly limping. The dark cats do not fight fair. They will do anything to make sure the other can not continue.

"What shoulder we do?" Rage asks. Venom lowers his head, hissing angrily. These Clan cats are smarter than he originally thought they were.

"Use the shadows." He growls out, gritting his teeth together. Rage nods and yowls. All the dark cats look towards their leader, a dangerously excited gleam in their eyes. Suddenly, all the evil cats disappear, leaving the Clan cats in confusion.

"Where'd they go?"

"They disappeared!"

"What's happening?!" Lightstar's fur bristles as she takes a protective stance. Sparkpaw narrows his eyes suspiciously, glancing around the valley. He can see the shadowy figures that flicker through the darkness.

"They've turned into shadows." He tries to explain to his leader. "I can see them because of the powers StarClan gave to me." Lightstar growls angrily, digging her claws into the soft ground below her. Lightning flashes across the sky, lighting up the valley for mere second, but long enough for her to make out the dark figures.

The warriors look around in confusion. They scent the air, the smell of the dark cats still fresh, but they do not see the evil attackers. Suddenly, the dark shadows flash out, swiping black claws across the warriors. It stuns the warriors. Where did that come from? How could these cats be invisible, yet attack so fiercely. Several yowls of pain split the air as the dark cats slash out from their hiding place.

"We need to get somewhere where there are no shadows." Lightstar mews thoughtfully.

"The moors!" Sparkpaw says. Lightstar looks at him, eyes wide. He's right. The moors would be perfect. There are barely any shadows there.

"Good idea, Sparkpaw." She purrs. "Retreat to the moors, there's no shadows they can hide in!" The Clan cats look at her. The three other leaders cast her curious glances, but do not question it. They lead the cats to the moors, running at top speeds. The dark cats follow them, not even thinking twice about it. Their dark bodies slither through the trees, like snakes chasing their prey.

The trees thin out until their are none left, only the open more where there are no shadows. The Clan cats spin on their heels to attack the cat-like shadows.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

 **Sparkpaw's POV**

A large black figure tackles me, claws ripping into my already injured shoulder. I try to dislodge its long claws, but they do not loosen. I hiss and roll over. It does not really squish my enemy, but knocks the breath out of it. The shadow changes to a black tom with dark blue markings.

The tom hisses at me. He dives forward, raking his claws across my side. Sticky, red liquid flows down from the deep cuts. It pools on the grass, turning the green to red. The air smells like metal from all the spilled blood.

"You'll pay for that, you foxdung!" I spit at him. He hisses mockingly, like he is better than me. I move forward, swiping at his muzzle. He dives, shoving his shoulder into me. I fall over, landing on my broken leg. With a cry of pain, I lay there, panting. My eyes are open to slits as I watch the tom stalk closer.

A dark red ball of fur hurdles into the tom, knocking him to the side. Rosepaw claws his pelt, tearing clumps of fur out. He claws his face, nicking his ear and making a deep cut over his eye. The tom struggles below her, trying to push her off. My heart swells with happiness as I watch my littermate completely tear the dark cat apart. When she steps back, she bares her fangs at him, slashing right over his face.

"Leave my littermate alone!" Rosepaw snarls at him. She casts her concerned gold eyes at me, stepping to my side. I breathe heavily, letting my head hit the grass. Waves of painful shocks go through my body. The sticky feeling of my bloody fur presses to my skin.

"I'm ok." I wheeze out, knowing she will not believe me anyways. A drop of water hits my face, making me blink. More fall down, quickly making my pelt wet and flattening to my body. The dark sky pours down, as if showing the sadness that StarClan is feeling because of how much warrior blood is being spilled.

"Don't be a mousebrain, you're not okay." Rosepaw hisses in frustration. "He could have killed you." She presses her nose into my fur. A feel a sense of peace in the midst of all this fighting.

"I would never leave you, Rosepaw." I lick her ear softly. Lightstar runs up to us. Her white fur is stained red and there is a huge gash on her shoulder and back leg.

"Get him to the Medicine Cat." She says, no questioning her demand. I grit my teeth and force myself to stand up.

"I am fine, I can fight." I growl out through the pain. "A warrior is supposed to risk their life to save their Clan. I will uphold to that." Lightstar looks doubtful as she observe the blood dripping from my coat. I refuse to give up.

"Very well. I will be keeping my eyes on you though." She dips her head, swiftly turning and going back into battle. I glance into Rosepaw's concerned eyes.

"I am fine." I insist. "Go fight." With one last look, she follows after Lightstar. I swing y head to find someone I can fight. I will not let them think I am weak. I will prove to them that I will make a fine warrior.

I sink my claws into the first dark cat I see. They rip through dark brown tabby fur. I recognize the cat as Rage, Venoms second in command. The large tom hisses at me, swatting at my muzzle with one of his big paws. I am forced back a few paw-steps, but keep my stance firm.

"Shouldn't you be giving up you little maggot? I shouldn't have to hurt ya even more." Rage sneers. I glare at him angrily. I am no little maggot!

"Grra-aar!" I tackle him, putting my full weight into it. He stumbles, stunned from my sudden attack. I dive under him, slashing my back-claws at his vulnerable underbelly. He regains his compose and leans down to snap at me. I jab his face with my paw, delivering a sharp strike on the side of his face. "Shouldn't you give up you piece of foxdung? It's obvious you won't win." I growl in his face. My paws push into his underbelly, sending him a few mouse-lengths of the ground. Getting up quickly, I shove my shoulder in his side. Rage falls to the ground, quickly trying to get up. He's loosing blood fast from the scratches I gave his underbelly. The dark tom lays on the grass, panting and tired.

A loud yowl splits the air. My head jolts up so quick that it hurts my neck. I know that voice. My eyes land on the pitch black leader of the dark cats. Venom. He has his paw raised, long claws out. The lightning flashes, letting me get a glimpse of whoevers under him. My breath freezes in my chest. Rosepaw.

I leap into action, running at full speed. The rain pelts my face, making me squint. The only thoughts running through my mind are those of Rosepaw. She is hurt. Venom is going to kill her without thinking twice.

"Leave her alone!" Right before Venom can sink his claws down into her, I barrel straight into him. The tom gives a loud yelp as we go twisting to the ground. I spit and hiss, sinking my claws into anything I can reach. Venom bats at me, trying to push my smaller body off. I refuse to be flung off, instead, imbedding my teeth into his leg. My tail twists furiously like a writhing snake.

"Get off me you mangy kit!" Venom snarls, biting at my chest fur. I rake my claws down his side.

"I am no kit! I am a ThunderClan apprentice!" I slash his face. "You'll pay for hurting my Clan!" We go tussling, claws flying. My fur gets even more soaked from rolling around in the grass. Mud coats my pelt as Venom pins me down. Remembering my training, I pretend to go limp. When Venom loosens his grip, I push up in an explosive manner, knocking him iff his paws. Without thinking, I dive forward and rake my claws down his stomach, claws going deeper than intended. Blood gushes from the wound.

Venom spasms, pain raking through his whole body. I step back with wide, registering what is happening. I may have just delivered a fatal blow. The dark cat leader coughs, as if he is trying to hack up a fur-ball. Blood fall from his open muzzle. It seems like the the entire moor falls silent. Venom convulses, wide poison green eyes on me. Then he stops, stilling completely. His eyes glaze over, turning cloudy and unseeing. He is dead.


	19. End!

**Sparkpaw's POV**

"Venom is dead!"

"That scrawny apprentice killed him!"

"What do we do?"

The dark cats scramble about, all in a panic. The warriors look at the dead leader in surprise. I stand frozen, body shaking. I killed a cat.

"Retreat!" A voice yells. The dark cats start to scatter, running in different directions. Their retreating forms are accompanied by the booming thunder. The rain washes away their pawprints, as if they had never been there. Everything was quiet except for the harsh panting of the warriors and the thunder.

"Sparkpaw?" Rosepaw's worried voice meets my ears. I am too shocked to move. My chest barely moves with my weak breaths and my head spins. The fact that I killed a cat, the leader nonetheless, makes me feel immobile. Everything is so overwhelming.

My eyes roll back in my head as I collapse. Blackness creeps around my vision. As the adrenaline wears off, the pain comes back with a vengeance. Everything slowly fades.

"Sparkpaw!" The last thing I hear before I completely black out is the exclamation from the littermate.

-:-:-:-:-:-

 _Blood. Red. Pain._

 _Fire flashes in the darkness, consuming everything. Through the fire, I see a pair of violent green eyes. They shine with hatred and pure anger. The dark figure breaks through the fire, hurdling at me like a comet. His claws are outstretched, ready to rip me to pieces. I close my eyes, preparing myself for impact._

I jolt up, gasping for air. My chest rises and falls rapidly as I look around in a panic. My surroundings seem familiar. I have been in here.

"Calm down or else you'll reopen your wounds." A soft, gentle voice mews. My eyes dart to the voice to see Roselight. My heart slows down slightly when I realize I am in the Medicine Cat den. I am laying in a cozy moss nest, my side and shoulder wrapped in cobwebs. My leg has been set in a new, fresh splint.

"What happened?" I question groggily. There is a thick frog in my mind, blocking all thoughts.

"You fainted after killing the dark cats' leader." Rosepaw pushes me down into the moss bed when I attempt to stand up.

"Venom?"

"Hm, so that's his name." She meows. "Fitting."

"Is Rosepaw okay?!" I ask urgently when I finally remember the last moments of the battle. Roselight nods, moving to organize some herbs. The potent smell fills the air of the Medicine Cat Den. I can make out a few that she taught me before I left on my journey, but the others are completely foreign.

"She is fine. Now, you need to rest for tonight." The light grey she-cat murmurs softly.

"Tonight?" I question, ears perking forward. What is happening tonight that I need to be rested for? How long have I been asleep?

"Yes. Lightstar said nothing in specific, but it sounds like something big is going to happen." She purrs out a laugh, acting like a normal young she-cat listening to Clan gossip. I rest my head on the soft moss and yawn. My eyelids droop. I am still tired.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Sparkpaw, wake up." Rosepaw's gentle voice wakes me from my sweet sleep. My calm green eyes flutter open so I can look at her. She is flicking her tail amusedly and my groggy state.

"What?" I groan.

"The moon is rising. We must leave to go the Gathering." She mews softly. I blink a few times to register her words. A Gathering. We're going to a Gathering tonight! This would be our second. I try to get up, but find it hard to because of my broken right leg and the large wound on my left side. Rosepaw helps me, letting me lean against her. I mutter a small thank you as we limp out of the den.

Lightstar stands on top of Highledge, surveying the cats gathered below it. It is a medium sized group. I count a total of ten warriors and two apprentices, not including us. Dustpaw is among them, hazel eyes locked on Rosepaw. I sigh softly. He must really care for her.

"Go be with Dustpaw, I'll be fine." I mew. She gives me a questioningly reluctant look, but I just shoo her off. With a grateful purr, she scampers up to Dustpaw's side. He rubs against her side and they touch noses.

"She's definitely becoming a strong young cat." A voice purrs fondly beside me. I glance to see the familiar dark red-orange pelt of Nightflower. "Dustpaw's a fine tom."

"I guess."I mumble. She purrs teasingly, flicking me with her fluffy tail. Goldenhawk stands beside her, blue eyes warm. Nightflower and Goldenhawk have always been so happy together. I guess it would be nice to see my sister so close with someone beside me.

Lightstar signals for the chosen cats to go the bramble tunnel. I follow slowly, leaning against Nightflower. She helps guide me, making sure I do not trip or run into something. It is a bit of a challenge to get over the fallen tree, but I somehow make it, digging my claws deep into the trunk.

Wolfscar trots up to me, head high and dignified. She flicks her tail and tells me to follow her. We weave through the throng of Clan cats until we reach the base of the large oak. Flamepaw, Breezepaw, and Frozenpaw also stand there.

The four leaders look down at us from their perches. Lightstar's eyes sparkle proudly ass she looks at me. Knowing that she approves of me makes warmth prickle under my pelt.

"Let the Gathering begin!" Whitestar yowls. All eyes turn to them.

"Though we have just came through battle, we hold our heads high in victory." Splashstar mews. "Every cat fought bravely against the dark cat. StarClan would be brave."

"Especially of these four apprentices." Lightstar meows, looking down at the four of u. "Picked by StarClan, they rescued the apprentices and kits that were taken. They have proved themselves brave in battle and intelligent."

"Therefor, it has been decided that these apprentices shall become warriors due to their actions." Darkstar states. The four leaders hop down from the tree, standing in front of their apprentices. Lightstar looks at me fondly, purring quietly.

Splashstar is the first to speak. She looks at Frozenpaw proudly, bright green eyes reflection the light of the moon.

"I, Splashstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.

Frozenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" She asks.

"I do." Frozenpaw responds.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Frozenpaw, from this moment you will be known as Frozencreek. StarClan honors your warmth and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan." Splashstar rests her muzzle Frozencreek's head and she licks Splashstar's shoulder. Next, Whitestar speaks in his deep calm voice.

"I, Whitestar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.

Breezepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan," He continues, "I give you your warrior name. Breezepaw, from this moment you will be known as Breezewing. StarClan honors your cleverness and honesty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan." Whitestar touches his nose to her fur as she licks his shoulder. Darkstar steps forward.

"I, Darkstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn.

Flamepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Flamepaw, from this moment you will be known as Flamewhiskers. StarClan honors your strength and energy, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." They follow the same ritual as the other two.

My heart pounds harshly in my chest. I am about to become a warrior. Lightstar looks at me proudly. I am practically her size now, if a bit smaller. I have become more muscular over the moons of training. I look like a real warrior.

"I, Lightstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn.

Sparkpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." I respond, my voice just above a whisper.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sparkpaw, from this moment you will be known as Sparkclaw. StarClan honors your dedication and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." I take a deep breath. Lightstar touches the top of my head with her nose. I lean forward and lick her shoulder.

"Frozencreek! Breezewing! Flamewhiskers! Sparkclaw!" The Clan cats shout our new warrior names. Pride swells within my chest as I look at my Clanmates. Rosepaw is watching me with awe. I purr happily. I could not ask for anything better.

* * *

 **That's the end! Thanks for reading, please leave a comment! I might possibly do a sequel. If I do, I'll tell ya'll!**


	20. Sequel?

**Sup kitties! So, I was wondering if you guys want a sequel...? I have an idea for it and possibly a third one. I've never done a trilogy, so there's no promises for a third. I just wanted to know if you guys want a sequel. Please leave a review with your reply. ^-^**


	21. Sequel!

**Hey, I started a sequel to this story! The sequel is titled: Unknown Secrets. Please go read it!**


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